Mr. Speaker, the child and youth counsellor initiative was developed at the table of the Interdevelopmental Child and Youth Mental Wellness Action Planning Working Group, a group put together to help us lead this initiative. The work of this group was guided by the feedback of Northwest Territories youth, who expressed that they wanted access to specialized mental health supports to assist them in the very serious and very complex challenges they are facing. In addition, they spoke clearly and strongly about the challenges of living in small communities and feeling apprehensive about accessing services because of perceived lack of privacy and confidentiality. The youth also spoke of the need to have professionals to talk to who are not necessarily related to them and/or friends or partners of their families.
The job description of the counsellors has been drafted on the needs expressed by the youth during these discussions. The qualifications for the positions are based on the requirements of the job and the professional knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to fulfill those requirements. Following GNWT protocol for drafting job descriptions, it has been determined that a Master's level education in counselling-related fields, such as clinical social work or psychology or educational psychology or even art therapy and other related jobs, is a typical way of an incumbent entering the field in today's market. As such, in our job descriptions, we identified the knowledge, skills, and abilities which are key, as well as how these skills are typically acquired, which, if you're entering the field today, is often through Master's preparation