This is page numbers 4545 – 4588 of the Hansard for the 17th Assembly, 5th Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was services.

Topics

Committee Motion 44-17(5): Comprehensive Action Plan, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Daryl Dolynny

Question has been called. The motion is carried.

---Carried

Mr. Nadli.

Committee Motion 45-17(5): Strategies And Targets For Reducing Child Apprehensions, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

June 1st, 2014

Michael Nadli

Michael Nadli Deh Cho

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that the Department of Health and Social Services focus on prevention, early intervention and family preservation strategies with the goal of reducing the need for child apprehensions; and further, that measurable targets be specified for the upcoming five- and 10-year periods. Mahsi, Mr. Chair.

Committee Motion 45-17(5): Strategies And Targets For Reducing Child Apprehensions, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Daryl Dolynny

Thank you, Mr. Nadli. To the motion. Mr. Nadli.

Committee Motion 45-17(5): Strategies And Targets For Reducing Child Apprehensions, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Michael Nadli

Michael Nadli Deh Cho

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I think it’s fair to say that most of us have experienced in some way the experiences of the residential schools and the trauma in terms of separating children from parents. Again, unfortunately there are instances where that separation continues. We have examples of where grandparents want to step in to help their grandchildren, but sometimes the system is not favourable for them to step in to be there as guardians, as the caretakers of their grandchildren. Unfortunately, sometimes they say the system does not help them at all.

This motion is encouraging the department to look at prevention and early intervention and family preservation strategies. Essentially look at, at least consider the role of elders or grandparents as one example in terms of trying to remedy the situation of child apprehensions. Hopefully, this will be articulated in the action plan that we expect will come about by the end of this summer. Mahsi.

Committee Motion 45-17(5): Strategies And Targets For Reducing Child Apprehensions, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Daryl Dolynny

Thank you, Mr. Nadli. To the motion. Mr. Bromley.

Committee Motion 45-17(5): Strategies And Targets For Reducing Child Apprehensions, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Bob Bromley

Bob Bromley Weledeh

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just quickly, and this is a little bit of what I was referring to. While I support the need for five- and 10-year measurable targets, in fact we need one-year targets and I’m hoping I’ll be seeing those as we go through the motions here and that the Minister will, in fact, recognize the need for that during the life of this Assembly, what are we going to get done approach. Thank you.

Committee Motion 45-17(5): Strategies And Targets For Reducing Child Apprehensions, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Daryl Dolynny

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. To the motion. Mr. Yakeleya.

Committee Motion 45-17(5): Strategies And Targets For Reducing Child Apprehensions, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just want to comment on Mr. Bromley’s comments on time frame and look at some of the good work that happened in the 16th Assembly on child and family

services community public hearings on this specific issue. The hope that went around the communities with the public hearings of raising the expectations and knowing that this 16th Assembly was going to

make some changes and now we’re into the 17th Assembly. People’s expectations were raised and now they fall down again. We want to hold people at the helm of the steering wheel accountable. Comments like Mr. Bromley’s make it measurable, not just after five, 10 years, but at least we know that the people who are going to do this work, they’re held accountable and it’s a measurable form. Five or 10 years is a long time. We need to show that there is trust there again for the people who are seeing their children apprehended. Having some of the good discussions and take some concrete actions.

So I’d like to see some measurable movements, results, as a result of this motion coming to the floor. Like I said, we need to get to work on this. So those are my comments.

Committee Motion 45-17(5): Strategies And Targets For Reducing Child Apprehensions, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Daryl Dolynny

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. To the motion, Minister Abernethy.

Committee Motion 45-17(5): Strategies And Targets For Reducing Child Apprehensions, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Chair. As a government, as a Legislature we’ve already made prevention and early intervention a priority with a number of actions in both the Early Childhood Development Action Plan and the Addictions and Mental Health Action Plan. As a part of our new action plan for building stronger families that I’d mentioned in the previous motion, we’ll look at more actions focused on family preservation. We will introduce public reporting on key system-wide performance measures over the next couple of months and these will also include several measures related directly to the child and family services.

Obviously, we’ll also consider the committee’s recommendations on other specific measures throughout the recommendation. As part of the plan, we will be setting short, medium and long-term targets. Thank you.

Committee Motion 45-17(5): Strategies And Targets For Reducing Child Apprehensions, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Daryl Dolynny

Thank you, Minister Abernethy. To the motion.

Committee Motion 45-17(5): Strategies And Targets For Reducing Child Apprehensions, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Some Hon. Members

Question.

Committee Motion 45-17(5): Strategies And Targets For Reducing Child Apprehensions, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Daryl Dolynny

Question has been called. The motion is carried.

---Carried

Mr. Nadli.

Committee Motion 46-17(5): Family Preservation Workers, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Michael Nadli

Michael Nadli Deh Cho

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that the Department of Health and Social Services investigate the feasibility of territory-wide expansion of family preservation workers to provide in-home, individualized intervention services in order to promote the well-being of children and families. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Committee Motion 46-17(5): Family Preservation Workers, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Daryl Dolynny

Thank you, Mr. Nadli. To the motion, Ms. Bisaro.

Committee Motion 46-17(5): Family Preservation Workers, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Wendy Bisaro

Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just want to speak briefly to this. The job of family preservation worker was one that came to my attention through the Auditor General’s report and we have one staff person with that title within the health and social services system. It would seem to me that this is an area that we will be well advised to expand on.

The family preservation workers, as the motion says, provide in-home, individualized intervention services and that’s the sort of thing that is required with the end goal of keeping children with their families and in their home and in their community. This recommendation asks the department to consider that and to expand the number of family preservation workers that we have. Thank you.

Committee Motion 46-17(5): Family Preservation Workers, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Daryl Dolynny

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. To the motion, Mr. Yakeleya.

Committee Motion 46-17(5): Family Preservation Workers, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just wanted to also comment on the type of work that the family preservations are providing and that this is something that’s been asked maybe in a different language, different forms, different concepts, but this is what I know I’ve been hearing from around the Sahtu, specifically when I met one of the community members in one of my communities that talked about having people in the community itself do its work and not be caught up in the bureaucracy of degrees or credits to education. It requires somebody to do a job.

This is the type of work that is basic, it’s simple and it would be good to have it expanded in all our communities where they have people like this working closely in the community, not sitting in the office. These have to be outside, walking around in the communities and working with the families. This is an old type of family system in the small communities. They were designated. So I think this is the type of thinking that needs to happen in our communities and I strongly urge the government to implement these types of family preservation workers in all our communities, then I believe you’ll see a reduction of family issues. If this project here hits the ground, I think it will be far more beneficial. We need to have more of this type of thinking in the department and get away from the other type of

thinking as to how to take care of the situation here. So, I really like this motion here.

Committee Motion 46-17(5): Family Preservation Workers, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Daryl Dolynny

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. To the motion. Mr. Nadli.

Committee Motion 46-17(5): Family Preservation Workers, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Michael Nadli

Michael Nadli Deh Cho

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I look forward to the department providing a comprehensive framework and action plan, and I look forward to how this matter will be addressed. But one thing for certain that I think government needs to do is more likely an interdepartmental cooperation.

This motion seems to suggest that the family preservation workers initiative should be elevated to a territory-wide level, but at the same time, right in the communities we have home care program workers. I think we have to get beyond this idea of working in silos. There has to be some interconnections and also, at the same time, a level of coordination. We would like to ensure that we do at least discuss broadly in terms of the framework of how it is that we’re supposed to address the concerns that were raised by the Auditor General. Mahsi.

Committee Motion 46-17(5): Family Preservation Workers, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Daryl Dolynny

Thank you, Mr. Nadli. To the motion. Minister Abernethy.

Committee Motion 46-17(5): Family Preservation Workers, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The action plan will focus on building stronger families. In this role of the family preservation worker with the intervention support programs and other things that they do, those types of things will be of key importance.

Obviously, we need to do more work to determine to the extent to which we can change either the focus of existing positions, or in the future whether or not we may require new positions. This work will actually be coordinated as part of our caseload analysis. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Committee Motion 46-17(5): Family Preservation Workers, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Daryl Dolynny

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. To the motion.

Committee Motion 46-17(5): Family Preservation Workers, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Some Hon. Members

Question.

Committee Motion 46-17(5): Family Preservation Workers, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Daryl Dolynny

Question has been called. The motion is carried.

---Carried

Mr. Nadli.