Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today in my Member's statement I talked about some unique challenges of what happens with youth who become wards of the department. I have some questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services. My first question: when it comes to treatment programs, why would we send youth down south instead of using the resources in the Northwest Territories? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, for youth who may require treatment services, every youth will be assessed on their individual needs. There is a care plan that will be developed for every youth based on those. We try really hard to match their needs with a range of programs and services that are available. This includes services that are both available in the Northwest Territories but also services that are available in the South. If the needs can be met in the North, we send them to programs in the North. If they can't or they don't believe that they can be met with programs in the North, we send them to programs in the South. It is a bit of both, and it is based on the individual and their care plan. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank the Minister for that answer. Like I said, we had some challenges in trying to find out information with youth who are involved with the department. Can the Minister please tell us what policies are used to deal with youth who are the ward of the department? In other words, if the department has to step in and take the child, what policy is in place to ensure the parents, legal guardians, grandparents are informed of any decisions and/or issues that involve the youth?
With Building Stronger Families, which is our new approach on Child and Family Services, our first priority is really to try and keep families together and not result in apprehension situations. We have already started to see a decrease in the number of apprehensions, more voluntary agreements, more mediation, and fewer families being taken apart. However, yes, from time to time, we will still need to bring children into care.
Our work is directed by the Child and Family Services Act and all of the relevant standards within. Our focus is obviously in the best interest of the child and protecting children, as well as providing them with the services for the children as well as the families. The level of engagement with the family is really dependent on the many dynamics that may exist that are considered by all of our professional childcare protection staff as part of the assessment that I previously mentioned, as well as in the development of the care plan.
Our preference is always to work with the families as well as the kin, extended families. Sometimes there are reasons why doing this is not seen to be in the child's best interest and where sharing information could possibly create a risk of harm to the child. Those things must also be considered. I would be happy to read out the sections of the legislation that outline this exact information. It is in the Child and Family Services Act, in sections 71 through 74. I imagine that would take me longer than the time we have. I would encourage the Member and anybody from the public who is interested in the legislation to check out those sections.
I again thank the Minister for that answer. I appreciate that, and I will be able to get that information to the parents and guardians in future. Mr. Speaker, if a youth becomes a ward of the department, can the youth sign the third-party consent form so information is shared with their legal guardians, parents, grandparents, and the person's MLA? Presently, we cannot seem to understand who can get this information out there.
I wish there was a really simple answer to this one, but there is not. It really is dependent on the individual and whether or not they have the capacity to understand the consent that they are signing. A youth can sign their own consent when it is deemed that they actually have the capacity to understand what they are signing and the ramifications of signing, and so, when a youth does need support through an independent voice, we can and we do utilize the children's lawyer to help determine whether they have the capacity to do that. If the capacity is there, absolutely, they can sign their own consent. If not, then we would engage the child's lawyer. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
