Question.
Question is being called. The motion is carried.
---Carried
Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that the Department of Health and Social Services work with the Department of Education, Culture and Employment and Aurora College to enhance support for students in the Social Work Program with the goal of increasing the number of homegrown Aboriginal students; and further, that a bursary program be established; and furthermore, that the online course work in distance education also be considered. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The motion is in order. To the motion. Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I fully support this motion. It’s very clear, as stated here, that the goal is to have our Aboriginal students in our communities in the North here take advantage of this opportunity and that there’s a support system set in place so that we support them going through the education programs, such as the Aurora College Social Work Program, and that other options also be considered to support our young students here. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. To the motion. Minister Abernethy.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Through the Northern Graduate Employment Program, which began in 2001, 26 Northerners have become social workers, of whom 16 are actually still employed by the GNWT. The department is completing an updated Health and Social Services Human Resource Strategic Plan and social workers have been identified as a priority area in this new action plan. We will work on a number of fronts to encourage northern social work students, including going to the schools to encourage northern youth to consider social work as a career, and continue to provide summer students intern and practicum opportunities as much as possible. Overall, our review of the existing programs indicated that bursaries are not an effective way to recruit and retain. So we’re looking at doing some things differently. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister Abernethy. To the motion.
Question.
Question is being called. The motion is carried.
---Carried
Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that the health and social services authorities, in consultation with the Department of Health and Social Services, develop a tool to ensure that longer-term risks to children are formally assessed to determine a child’s safety as required under the Child and Family Services Act; and further, that this tool be ready for use by front-line workers within the current fiscal year; and furthermore, to expedite the process the department look to other jurisdictions for guidance. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The motion is in order. To the motion. Mr. Yakeleya.
Again, this motion is very straightforward in regards to the type of tools that we want to develop to ensure that long-term risk to children is formally assessed properly and determine the safety of our children. It was noted in the Auditor General’s report that there were some deficiencies in this area. So, again, I look forward to the department’s work. There is a demand on here for front-line workers within the current fiscal year and that this process be expedited by other jurisdictions. I want to have the same thing as we’re asking for. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. To the motion. Minister Abernethy.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The department is considering adopting a series of tools called structured decision-making. These are standardized forms which child protection workers can complete in order to assess both the immediate safety risk and longer-term risk and future harm.
Several Canadian jurisdictions recently adopted these tools, and the director of territorial services is in touch with his counterparts to receive guidance on lessons learned in other jurisdictions. One of the first lessons that was learned is that it will take several years to adapt the tools to our particular jurisdiction and to validate the tools for use within our population. We intend to move this process forward as fast as possible and explore what interim guidance can be provided to child protection workers, but at the end of the day, as we move towards a system that supports families in a different and more proactive way, we will need to make sure that these tools are appropriate and it will take a bit of time. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I feel very strongly about this particular deficiency and want to speak to it. In the files that the Auditor General examined, none of them had done a long-term risk assessment of the child’s safety. It struck me as being particularly deficient, for lack of a better word. I understand the Minister’s comment that the department is looking at something and that it’s going to take a long time in order to get a tool in place, but there has to be something in the interim. We can’t continue the way we have for umpteen years, not doing long-term assessments of the safety of children when they are apprehended or even when there’s an intervention being done of some sort whether they remain in the home or not.
I can understand that to take a tool and adapt it for our particular northern situation may take a while, but in the interim, the Minister has to ensure that long-term assessments are being done and there needs to be an interim tool. During the hearings, we were advised that it could take up to a year for the department to get tools in place, and that’s way too long. So I wanted to just state that it is up to the Minister to find something that will ensure that workers are doing long-term assessments of children until we get this risk assessment tool formally identified. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. The motion is carried.
---Carried
Mr. Yakeleya.
I move that the health and social services authorities comply with the Child and Family Services Act and the Child and Family Services Standards and Procedures Manual in their delivery of services to children and families; – Madam Chair, we are just getting the motion handed out because there was a typo, so we are just handing out the motion – and further, that health and social services authorities ensure the key requirements are met when:
investigating concerns about child safety and well-being;
providing protective services for children to address and confirm child protection needs;
providing service to children under the care of the director of child and family services; and
performing screening and monitoring of foster care homes.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. To the motion. Mr. Yakeleya.
The motion certainly speaks to the procedures manual and the delivery of services to children and their families and key requirements that should be met as per the Auditor General in this part of their findings. I certainly would support that.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. To the motion. Mr. Abernethy.
Thank you, Madam Chair. We agree with recommendation 27 and all the actions that are being designed, including the action plan designed to support this.
Thank you, Minister Abernethy. To the motion.
Question.
Question is being called. The motion is carried.
---Carried
Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that the health and social services authorities, in consultation with the Department of Health and Social Services, should regularly assess whether the services they provide to children and families are in compliance with the Child and Family Services Act and the Child and Family Services Standards and Procedures Manual; and further, that the results of these assessments be used to improve compliance and be shared with the director of child and family services. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Your motion is in order. To the motion.
Question.
Question is being called. Motion is carried.
---Carried
Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I have two more motions. I do apologize if you don’t have the information in front of you.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The motion is in order. To the motion. Minister Abernethy.
Thank you, Madam Chair. This recommendation will be addressed in the amendments to the act. Drafting is underway and is expected to take about 12 months, with introduction of the amending bill in the spring of 2015. As outlined in the legislative proposal, the amendment will include enhancing services offered to youth, including youth protection orders, housing supports under support service agreements and defining youth under the act. It will also include extending support services to youth who are in permanent care until they reach the age of 23 and requiring the development of a written transition case plan for youth leaving permanent custody. We will consider the most appropriate performance measures and reporting mechanisms as we move forward and they will be discussed during the review of the bill. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. To the motion.
Question.
Question is being called. The motion is carried.
---Carried
Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that the government provide a comprehensive response to this report within 120 days. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The motion is in order. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. The motion is carried.
---Carried
Does committee agree that that concludes the consideration of Committee Report 6-17(5), Report on the Review of the 2014 Report of the Auditor General of Canada on Northwest Territories Child and Family Services?
Agreed.
Thank you. The next matter before Committee of the Whole today is Tabled Document 93-17(5), Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 1, 2014-2015. I will ask the Minister of Finance if he would please bring his opening remarks. Minister Miltenberger.
