Thank you, Mr. Chair. Again, we have tread this ground already in this Committee of the Whole time. Which is the appropriate standing committee is really up for the department to report on Child and Family Services. It is really up to a given Assembly. In the case of this audit, the responsibility is shared between two committees. However, the committee in this case wanted to create a recommendation that wasn't solely based on the audit findings and this particular report, which, although it is deeply significant and concerning, is a point in time. The committee feels very strongly that future governments need to be on top of Child and Family Services at all times, so this recommendation is hopefully binding for future governments, that they will come before whatever committee is charged with oversight and report on the general provisions of the Child and Family Services Act and how the system is supporting children in care and any quality improvement plans that are currently under way.
For clarity, although this arises from our audit review, it is not specific to the audit and speaks much more broadly to the ongoing work of the legislature in its review of the Department of Health and Social Services as it provides support to families and children in care. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
To the motion. Minister Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. For the remainder of this term, we will certainly provide reports twice yearly, as the report says. Given the desire of multiple committees to be involved, I am prepared to send a letter with joint receivers, so I will send it to both the chair of government office and the chair of the Standing Committee on Social Development, and together we can work to figure out how to present, given that both parties are clearly interested, so we can work out those details going forward.
I will certainly recommend by way of a transition document that that same commitment remain in future governments. Depending on the structure that is established, we don't know what the committees will be in future governments, but I will certainly make that recommendation in transition that the briefings in this area go to the two committees responsible for these areas, the area responsible for Auditor General reports and the area responsible for social services.
As we know, most quality reviews are completed on a quarterly basis, but they do require some time to put into reports. We do our system-wide audits every two years, but I am confident that we will be able to provide meaningful data to the committees twice a year, so we accept it, we agree, but it is a recommendation to Cabinet, so we will be abstaining. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister Abernethy. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. All in favour? Against? Abstaining? The motion is carried.
---Carried
Mr. Testart.
Mr. Chair, I move that this Assembly recommends that the Department of Health and Social Services publicly identify performance indicators, including client-centered outcomes, that it will use to assess improvements in Child and Family Services over time, and further, that reporting on these measures be incorporated into the department's annual business plan and the annual report of the director of Child and Family Services. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Testart. To the motion. Mr. Testart.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. This motion is self-explanatory in what it calls for, but we were particularly seized with identifying performance measures that were more than just output-based, such as, you know, amount of children care versus children who have moved outside the system, something along those lines. Those are useful figures, but we really need a better understanding of the quality of care, and committee members felt very strongly that identifying very clear performance indicators, especially those directed at clients in the system, are the best way to understand the quality of the provision of services and not just the quantity of those services, for lack of a better word.
As we know, governments report often. This government actually is quite proactive in many of its reporting requirements, or the information it chooses to report publicly, and those are good things, but often the issue is not the reporting itself but what is being reported. So it is crucial that any reporting that is done incorporates these measurements and that these measurements are included in basically everything the department does at a broader level, so that both the public and Members of this Assembly, future Members as well, can be able to look at a line or look at a report and clearly see how the system is functioning and whether or not it is functioning up to a standard that is acceptable as determined by legislation, regulation, and the public interest. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Testart. To the motion. Minister Abernethy.
Thanks, Mr. Chair. We do agree with this recommendation in principle. As part of the Quality Improvement Plan, the department has already committed to developing a set of key indicators. That is action 1.5 in the Quality Improvement Plan that has been shared. The set of performance indicators are currently under development. Once completed, the department will include these in future business plans as well as the annual report of the director of Child and Family Services where they align with the scope of the plan, so they will be made public through those mechanisms.
The department will be seeking some legal advice to see to what extent the Child and Family Services Act allows for tracking client-centered outcomes with the consideration for privacy and confidentiality requirements. What I mean by that, for example, is tracking some outcomes would require linking Child and Family Services data to other related measures such as hospitalization data, immunization data, and those types of things. This would also require the identification of common variables to link these data sets; things like child name, date of birth, health care number, et cetera. So if a health care number is required, as is often the case for hospitalization data, the CFS system would need to track this information through the Matrix NWT. Currently, the healthcare card number is not collected through the system, which could add some complication, which is why we agree with this recommendation and principle as opposed to straight agreement, because we have some work to do to determine whether or not we can actually do it to the degree that I believe the Members want based on the recommendation.
For other indicators related to measuring the success of youths once they have left or aged out, for example, things like employment or employment training, educational attainment, whether they are actually eligible to enrol in college, whether they are eligible to enter trade programs, these types of things, the department would have to verify with legal counsel. If the Child and Family Services Act actually permits following children once their files are closed or locked for reporting purposes, once that is confirmed, we would need to go through what information is needed for data linkages.
So while we don't agree that there is value in this to help make evidence-based decisions, we are not 100 percent sure that we can collect the data in the way the Members would like us to, so our commitment is that we will do the work to figure out if we can, and if we can, we will. If we can't, we will certainly explain to committee what our challenges are and why we are unable, so that is why we agree with this in a principle as opposed to just a straight accept. We have more work to do. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister Abernethy. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. All in favour? All against? Abstentions?
Carried
Mr. Testart.
Mr. Chair, I move that this Assembly recommends that the Department of Health and Social Services incorporate into its Quality Improvement Plan on Child and Family Services a commitment to strengthen working relationships with Indigenous and community governments; and further, that reporting on these measures be incorporated into the department's annual business plans and the annual report of the director of Child and Family Services. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Testart. To the motion. Mr. Testart.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I think that my colleague, the honourable Member for Tu NedheWiilideh, spoke about the complex nature of some of the root causes that cause the intervention of Child and Family Services. There is really not a single solution; I agree. It is not in the Auditor General's report, what is going to fix the problem. It is not expending millions of dollars without a plan. It is, really, working with communities and figuring out where the strengths of those communities are and applying those strengths holistically so that we can ensure that communities feel supported.
With an overwhelming number of Indigenous children in the system, it is really incumbent on this government to take action to engage communities to ensure that that statistic can come down and that communities are involved in the provision of these services for children. The only way that we are going to get there is if we start working together.
There is a lot of movement on this file, both nationally and here in the Northwest Territories, with the signing of self-government agreements that include Indigenous governments offering child and family services. Even though the capacity to deliver those services may not be there today, it is important to start working together now so that we can build a better system, both that the GNWT operates and eventually Indigenous governments are going to operate. We acknowledge that there are already some of those relationships in place, but they need to be stronger. They need to be stronger so that we can see better results and so that communities can feel engaged and involved in the system, so that it is not an adversarial process, and it is one that speaks to the needs of communities as well as the needs of children in care. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Testart. To the motion. Minister Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. We accept this recommendation. The department has committed to this action in the Quality Improvement Plan. It is specifically in action item 3.5. Increased communication and engagement of staff has been, obviously, an important focus for improving change management in all CFS strategic initiatives. The aim, obviously, is to bring decision-making closer to the front line and ensure that any quality improvement initiatives make sense in the context of front-line approach in the communities across the territories at the front line, in the communities where the children live.
The department does recognize that it is important to engage with Indigenous government leaders and non-government organizations, as well as current and past clients. This will strengthen community capacity and help us move in the right direction to ultimately improve the outcomes for children, youth, and their families. To that end, Mr. Chair, I have directed the department to set up a teleconference with Indigenous governments for March 15th, as well as an in-person meeting for May 2019, to discuss how, together with our partners, we can strengthen working relationships with Indigenous and community governments. Mr. Chair, as part of the reporting on the Quality Improvement Plan, the department will track the meetings held with Indigenous and community governments, and we will be in a position to report back to committee on those.
In conclusion, Mr. Chair, there is a requirement in legislation to work with our Indigenous governments, and we are committed to that. We will do that. As this is a recommendation to government, although we accept it, we will be abstaining. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister Abernethy. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. All in favour to the motion? Against? Abstentions?
Carried
Mr. Testart.
Mr. Chair, I move that this Assembly recommends that the Department of Health and Social Services incorporate into its Quality Improvement Plan on Child and Family Services a commitment to strengthen working relationships with community stakeholders in Child and Family Services, including the Foster Family Coalition of the Northwest Territories and the extended families of children in care; and further, that reporting on these measures be incorporated into the department's annual business plan and the annual report of the director of Child and Family Services. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Testart. To the motion. Mr. Testart.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. This is one of several motions involving the front-line workers and actors who are engaged in the system who might not necessarily be government employees. The committee recognizes the enormous role that foster families and extended families play in support for children in care and that their experience is crucial to making the system work. We made a number of recommendations. This one is the first that calls for strengthening the working relationship with these community stakeholders.
Many of our committee members come from or have experience with traditional backgrounds, particularly in Indigenous communities, and we were very clear in asking for the committee to bring forward a recommendation that addressed extended families for children in care. Extended families can sometimes be a better option than other options that the government may identify, and working with those extended families can be a way to ensure that traditional knowledge is maintained and that common ties to language, culture, and tradition are maintained as the child continues to be in a system of care. Again, the committee feels very strongly that this holistic approach is going to ultimately achieve better results for children in care and result in better compliance for the government to manage its responsibilities under the act.
You will note as well, Mr. Chair, that this recommendation also includes reporting conditions. That is, again, so that the current committees, future committees, and members of the public will be able to clearly see evidence of whether this is being done. The government can be held to account as a result, and the committee can continue to monitor how successful these relationships are being in caring for children. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Testart. To the motion. Ms. Green.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. One would think that the Foster Family Coalition of the Northwest Territories would play a central role in the role of children in care, but it is my information that they don't, that information is not readily shared with them, and that they do not, in fact, take a central role in advocacy and training for other foster families. There is an opportunity here, with this resolution, to increase the collaboration between the department and the Foster Family Coalition, and I urge the department to take advantage of that opportunity. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Green. To the motion. Minister Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The department has reviewed the recommendation and does accept it. The recommendation is reflected in the Quality Improvement Plan under sections 3.5 and 4.8. I also talked, during my conversation around recommendation number 3, about some of the work that we are doing with the Foster Family Coalition as far as tracking and working with them. The department and authorities also participate in a monthly partnership meeting hosted by the Foster Family Coalition of the Northwest Territories. As a note, the executive director of the Foster Family Coalition of the Northwest Territories is the co-chair on the Foster Care Quality Working Group that has been recently established. The quality working group is focusing on how to improve relationships with all foster homes, including those with extended families.
As part of the reporting in the Quality Improvement Plan and directly relating to this recommendation, the department will track the meetings held with the Foster Family Coalition of the Northwest Territories and report on those, and we are working, obviously, to strengthen our relationship with the Foster Family Coalition moving forward. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister Abernethy. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. All in favour? Against? Abstentions?
Carried
Mr. Testart.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that this Assembly recommends that the Department of Health and Social Services develop and implement training for foster parents. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Testart. To the motion. Mr. Testart.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Again, the committee, in our deliberations around how we felt the issues that were raised by the report that really needed to be addressed, felt that the role of foster parents in the system and the government's working relationship with them really needed to be improved. Committee noted that the resources for providing training to foster parents was really insufficient, with many foster parents not having any formal training at all.
Committee is very concerned by this and wants to ensure that anyone who is caring for children in the system has the adequate resources and understanding of their obligations under the legislation to be compliant and ensure that children are cared for, because that is really the top priority at the end of the day. We feel very strongly as a committee that training supported by the GNWT is required to ensure that foster parents have the support that they need to be effective caregivers and guardians of children in care. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Testart. To the motion. Ms. Green.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. This recommendation doesn't go far enough. The training should be mandatory. I understand that foster parents are often parents of children themselves, but being a foster parent is a different role. It requires different support and different skills, recognizing that children may be in their home temporarily, that they may come from circumstances of trauma and neglect, and that they may need special attention. It would have been my preference that this motion say that the training was mandatory. I think that it is really important to say that this relationship with the foster parents goes both ways. It is not just the government demanding things from the foster parents and providing them with training and so on, but also that foster parents are able to ask for help when they need it. For that reason, I would have preferred to see that this was mandatory. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Green. To the motion. Minister Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The department has actually already committed to this action in the Quality Improvement Plan. Please take a look at action item 4.6. The Foster Family Coalition of the Northwest Territories is currently engaging us in this action item. I do take the Member from Yellowknife Centre's point, and I will certainly raise those issues with the deputy and the team working on this to see what additional steps may be necessary to make the training mandatory. If we can do that, we will certainly look at that. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister Abernethy. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. All in favour? Against? Abstentions?
Carried
Mr. Testart.
Mr. Chair, I move that this Assembly recommends that the Department of Health and Social Services establish an information-sharing agreement with the Foster Family Coalition of the Northwest Territories to ensure that all foster parents may be connected with that organization's resources. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Testart. To the motion. Mr. Testart.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Again, this is one in our series in motions in support of foster parents in the Child and Family Services system. In this case, it is to ensure that information is being shared appropriately and effectively so that foster parents are not left asking questions or do not know who to go to for help. I take my colleague's point from Yellowknife Centre that it is a two-way relationship. Certainly the standing committee is very sympathetic to that concern and wanted to create this package of recommendations that find new ways and more efficient and effective ways to support foster parents in the Northwest Territories.
We feel that establishing an information-sharing agreement with the coalition will allow for better results and clearly define the boundaries of privacy that the honourable Minister of Health and Social Services earlier spoke of. There are privacy concerns that arise from the often complex nature of these arrangements and of the children themselves in care. It is important that everyone understands what their obligations are and what is appropriate within the broad terms of an information-sharing agreement.
I look forward to hearing the Minister's response to this recommendation, but committee feels that it is crucially important that the coalition be brought closer into the system, again, so that we can ensure that the system is as holistic and collaborative as it possibly can be. Thank you.
