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.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. To the motion, Ms. Bisaro.
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.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. To the motion, Mr. Yakeleya.
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.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. To the motion. Mr. Nadli.
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.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. To the motion. Minister Abernethy.
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.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. The motion is carried.
---Carried
Mr. Nadli.
