I want to advise the Member that
I understand his commitment and passion on this issue. Department policies have been developed, and it’s working. The changes to the legislation also reflect the department’s focus on keeping the children in families as much as possible, in extended family and community, wherever possible.
The statistics show that in, say, 1999, we only had about 30 to 40 children who were in families or extended care out of what were, I’m sure, as many as we have now — I mean, out of the total number. This past year we have 630 children in care, and almost 400 of them, NWT-wide, are within either the families — with some sort of agreement with the department as to the actions they have to take — or extended families. I think we need to recognize that we’ve gone a long way in following the principle of keeping our children in their families and extended families as much as possible.
Now, with respect to Plan of Care, these are new changes to the law, and it’s the only one in Canada, so we are sort of developing our work as we go forward. There are no other models to follow.
That new provision is not being implemented by authorities. It’s the work of department headquarters and the shop of the director of Children and Family Services. He has been to communities, providing workshops on how to set up that Plan of Care committee.
I do agree with the Member that we’re not moving on that as fast as possible or as numerously as possible, because we do not have those Plan of Care committees set up in a lot of communities. But it’s one that I would like to see happening, and it’s one that, in talking to department officials, they’re committed to providing as well.
When I
attended the NWT Foster Family
Association, I encouraged all the foster families to
talk to.... A lot of them are from communities, and they’re aboriginal foster parents from communities. I’ve asked them to help me and to work with the leadership, to make sure we have Plan of Care committees set up in as many communities as possible, because it’s an avenue for communities to get involved in the welfare of the children that are in care.