Overview

The persistent high rates of child maltreatment in the NWT are a cause of great concern. The reactionary, crisis-response mode that child and family services operates in has not, and is not, solving child welfare problems, nor will it be able to in the future without serious changes.

Maltreatment is damaging children’s health and development, with dire consequences to our society. Maltreated children are more likely than others to suffer from physical, psychological and social problems that continue well after maltreatment has ended; for most, into adulthood. Victims of maltreatment often enter the child welfare system, which is very costly in itself. If we consider all the costs of case management, administration, services to families and children, foster care, adoption services, hospitalization, mental health care and law enforcement that stem directly from maltreatment, the expense is alarmingly high. The cost to children and their families, in human terms, is beyond calculation. In that light, child and family services must make proactive prevention and family support a core component of its Child Welfare and Protection Strategy.

The Child and Family Services Act not only allows the director to provide prevention services to children and families, but emphasizes this approach. Although there are currently a few prevention programs supported by child and family services, such as the Healthy Families Program, these programs are starved for resources and lack capacity to take on more clients. The unfortunate reality is that crisis cases eat up the lion’s share of child welfare resources. This crisis-response mode is not sustainable.

Alcohol and drug-related child neglect, followed closely by domestic violence, is the number one

cause of children being referred to child and family services. The majority of the parents involved live in poverty and struggle with mental health issues. To address those issues, it is important that government develop a stronger and more effective social safety net as part of its Anti-Poverty Strategy, considering child welfare programs in the process. There is a great need for better coordination of government services.

Although prevention of child maltreatment requires a government-wide approach, child and family services plays the key role. During the committee’s visits to the communities, members heard how many parents, especially young parents, would benefit from counselling and support groups. We need to vastly improve pre- and post-natal care and parenting skills, offer respite services and child care, plus in-home supports and home visitation programs. Investing in these prevention programs early will reduce the demand for protection services in the near future.

Prevention Services and Supports

1. Amend the act to:

a) mandate prevention and early intervention;

include a presumption of prevention and early intervention in the principles of the act;

b) include the presumption of working with

and providing support to the whole family to address protection concerns and develop policy and standards to support this change;

c) mandate community-based services that

must be provided by the director in all communities;

d) oblige the director of child and family

services to consider first local, then regional, and finally territorial treatment options for cases requiring alcohol and drug treatment or rehabilitation;

e) require the director to provide adequate

timely support to parents requiring alcohol or drug treatment or rehabilitation so that they are able to complete terms in the Plan of Care Agreement within a reasonable time frame.

2. Develop a comprehensive strategy to provide

resources and capacity for prevention and early intervention programming.

3. Work with departments and organizations such

as Education, Culture and Employment; NWT Housing Corporation; Justice; Health and Social Services; and the RCMP, to improve coordination of services and supports, at both the policy and delivery levels.

4. Ensure funding for prevention and early

intervention programming in every community,

and present a budget for it to the Legislative Assembly in the 2011-12 budget session.

5. Expand prevention services at the local level

by delegating responsibility and providing support to community agencies.

6. Expand the Healthy Families Program to all

communities with high priority.

7. Develop policy to allow the director to provide

financial support to families in emergency situations.

8. Encourage self-referrals and early intervention

by providing more voluntary services.

9. Develop policy that encourages the use of

supervision agreements and plan of care agreements before apprehension.

10. Provide in-home supports and services as a

means of keeping children safe in their homes.

11. Develop public education and community-

based parenting programs.

12.

Develop services for collaborative crisis planning with families at risk of developing protection concerns, with particular focus on families with infants and youth (because these factors coincide with a high level of stress in the household).

13. Develop more resources for alcohol and drug

treatment and rehabilitation in each region and support local program alternatives.

14. Develop a policy regarding victims of domestic

violence that includes:

a) providing services and supports that allow

them to keep their children safely in their custody;

b) advocating for victims and supporting

them in criminal proceedings against the perpetrator;

c) providing temporary shelter and support to

allow victims and their children to leave their homes where abuse is taking place.

15. Provide grants and resources to community

organizations to provide community-based services and supports, including shelters, food banks, counselling resources, treatment programs, healing camps, on-the-land, et cetera.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to pass the baton to my colleague Ms. Bisaro to continue with the recommendations. Thank you.