Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, also known as FASD, affects many people in the North. It impacts every aspect of their daily lives in the way they interact and participate in society. It often causes them to act in ways considered harmful to the community or themselves.
My first question to the Minister of Health and Social Services is: Does the department consider FASD a treatable condition, or is it considered to be a lifelong chronic condition requiring continuous support? Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Mr. Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There is no cure for FASD that I am aware of. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
That was my understanding as well. Today diagnosis of children with FASD is routine, but diagnosis of adults who were not assessed at young ages is a problem and many adults remain undiagnosed. They find themselves abandoned by the system, in trouble, in hospital or homeless and unaware of programs that might help. They don’t have the ability to function in a society that seems uncaring and stacked against them.
What treatment options and support services are in place to identify and help adults who have FASD? Mahsi.
Cognitive behavioral assessments for adults are completed by psychologists, psychiatrists, neurologists upon referral from a physician, community health nurse or a community social worker. In the Northwest Territories, we use the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Canadian guidelines for diagnosis, which were developed in 2005. There are a significant number of supports that individuals with FASD can access within the Government of the Northwest Territories. So I would say we are far from not caring for these individuals. We are not stacking against them. We have social workers who can deal one on one. We have mental health and addictions counsellors who can meet with them as well. We have rehabilitation supports to help people transition through activities of daily living. We’ve got case management that’s available, as well, supported living as well as respite services.
Adults with FASD who cannot live on their own may qualify for income support, for shelter, food, clothing, utilities and other things. We do have out-of-territory placement for individuals whose needs are beyond our capacity.
There are a number of things that we do, Mr. Speaker. We certainly aren’t stacking the system against these individuals. Thank you.
Thanks to the Minister. This is the impression adults with FASD often have. I didn’t accuse the department of that. Thanks for that thorough description of the services available.
Families put a tremendous amount of time, resources and love into caring for children with FASD who are now adults. When these children grow up, they often remain in the care of their families. Caring for someone with FASD can be difficult, as the Minister knows, and the families become highly stressed and the person confused. They do not know if there is help or how to find it or access it. So perhaps it’s a communications issue.
What measures are in place to reach out to the families who have children, especially adult children, with FASD and help them access the services they need?
There are a number of services, and I hear the Member, we may have a communication gap in getting this information to the right people at the right time. I know our professionals certainly share the information when they come in contact, but if they don’t come in contact, the Member is right, the individuals who may need the information may not have it. I will have a conversation with the deputy of Health and Social Services to find out and get more concrete information around the types of communication we are using to help get the right information to the right people at the right time. I will share that with the Member and Members on both sides of the House. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Short, final supplementary, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Our judicial system treats adults with FASD as though they are responsible for their decisions and have a full capacity for that responsibility punishing them instead of offering treatment or alternative ways of dealing with it, and thus, our jails are full of adults with FASD who circulate through this costly system without resolution. A wellness court announced for this fall that partnership between Health and Social Services and Justice is a positive step and is needed as soon as possible.
Is there any capacity within Health and Social Services and the courts to expedite this for adults with FASD? Thank you.
We are making progress with the wellness court and we are hopeful and actually anticipate that anticipation of the wellness courts later this year will help the courts better address these exact situations by providing supports. As far as expediting, we have a plan in place to start rolling out the wellness court in the fall and we would be ready to start providing those services then.
In the meantime, if there are individual cases that Members are aware of, Justice and Health and Social Services are always willing to work together to try to find solutions in the interim. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
