Children are continuing to die while in care, and when releasing the results of his latest investigative review on July 18, Alberta’s child and youth advocate criticized the government for a lack of action.
“My references are becoming a bit harsher because in many ways I'm not feeling like the government is hearing the recommendations and acting on them in the way that I'd hoped that they would,” said Graff, whose latest investigation looked at the deaths of three First Nations children who died between 2014 and 2015.
Sarah, Anthony and Mikwan were returned to their parents after significant time in care, he wrote in his report, explaining, “They were taken into care when they were very young because their parents struggled with addictions, domestic violence and neglect concerns.”
The families ranged in size from three to seven children. Each child had unique needs, and supports they required, but the focus on those were lost when they were returned to their families, he wrote, adding, “The children became isolated from relatives and community services that were previously supporting them.”
Graff expressed frustration that he had released recommendations in 2016 in a similar case, after nine-month-old Sarah died after being returned to her parents, saying his office has still not seen an update from government.
Sharon Steinhauer, team lead for Social Work Programs at the University of Blue Quills, sat beside Graff as he delivered his recommendations for improvement. Steinhauer has worked with the independent body as a content expert and community ally.
“The larger message in this recent report is to have more mindful transition planning,” she said. “It’s not just handing off children from foster care or the ministry system to parents without a transition plan or collaborative plans for family and community support.”
When families are going through their own recovery process, whether it is from addictions, domestic violence, or other issues, it can add stress on them when their children are returned, particularly if they have multiple children and if the children have special needs, said Steinhauer.
“It’s a bigger issue in the rural area than in the urban (where) you have more specialized supports you can access,” she said.
The process of looking after children in care is complex, as is returning them home, and Steinhauer says, “Returning kids is not an exact science, with the vulnerabilities that come with that. I think for each child, there needs to be an individualized parenting plan.”
However, she said she is seeing progress on the child care file, following an all-party panel on child intervention. The panel released its first set of recommendations earlier this year, which was followed by the introduction of Bill 18, the Child Protection and Accountability Act, in May.
The bill would require the advocate to complete an investigation into every Alberta child who dies while in government care. The legislation would also compel government ministries, delegated First Nations agencies and police to proactively disclose relevant information to the advocate. Under the bill, the government will have to publicly respond to recommendations made by the advocate within 75 days, although the bill would not compel the government to act on the recommendations.
Between April 1, 2014 and Dec. 31, 2016, 73 people under the age of 25 died while receiving government services; more than half of them were Indigenous.
Steinhauer felt the investigation into each death was an important move in the right direction.
“That’s a significant shift; we need to learn something from every child,” she said. “You’re trying to shift the system – you’re trying to get it right, and doing it better.”
David Hanson, Wildrose MLA for Lac La Biche-St. Paul-Two Hills, was among those that took part in the panel, standing in for fellow MLA Jason Nixon.
“Their stories were absolutely crushing,” he said, as he spoke about listening to youth who described being in care. “It’s very sad. It’s hard not to be moved when you hear from these kids.”
One 18-year-old spoke about being in 40 placements, while a 17-year-old spoke about being in a family for years and being moved without explanation, he said.
“She thought she had to leave this family she had grown to love because they didn’t want her anymore,” he said, explaining she learned only later that she was moved because the family had originally agreed to care for children up to a certain age. Others talked about the pain of being separated from siblings when sent to foster care.
Most agreed they’d “been through the system and survived the system, not because of the system, but despite the system,” Hanson said.
His experience sitting on the panel has convinced him that Alberta must improve in the way it delivers services to children in care and children leaving care, saying, “I really hope this committee works, because we’ve had committees before and we’re still having major issues.
While in power, Alberta's PC party oversaw six similar reviews in as many years, from 2008 to 2014.
While she acknowledged there’s been ongoing work to improve the system, Steinhauer said she’s seen progress, pointing to a project in the northeast on how to build better outcomes for indigenous kids and families in care, by incorporating culture into care.
“I’m really hopeful. I see points of light everywhere,” she said, as both she and Hanson noted they will be waiting to see what happens next.
The panel members will now work on phase two, to provide a second set of recommendations, after looking at legislation, policies, current practices, research and past recommendations, including those from the Office of the Child and Youth Advocate and the Auditor General of Alberta.
More than 10,000 children and youth currently receive child intervention services across Alberta.
