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An MLA is calling for the creation of a child and youth advocate in the Northwest Territories to hear the concerns of those involved in the child welfare system.
“In the Northwest Territories, the child and family services system holds extraordinary power over children in care with no real independent oversight,” said Range Lake MLA Kieron Testart in the legislature on Thursday.
Similar offices exist in every other Canadian province and territory, including the Yukon and Nunavut, which have dedicated representatives. In Ontario and Nova Scotia, concerns about the child welfare system are handled by provincial ombuds.
In recent years, the N.W.T.’s Department of Health and Social Services has come under fire after reports by Canada’s auditor general highlighted major issues in the system.
More recently, the Dene Nation said it was exploring exercising “greater jurisdiction over child and family services.” Dene National Chief George Mackenzie told Cabin Radio the way child welfare services are currently managed is “not working” for Indigenous communities in the N.W.T.
“In many cases, there’s a revolving door of social workers,” said Testart. “Some foster families have four social workers in one year. Some have no contact with the kids’ social worker for an entire year, they feel like they’ve been set up for failure.”
He said privacy concerns often impede his access to information from the department.
“When I am fortunate enough to get even a shred of information for families, the minister responds with whatever is convenient for their office, often in canned and cryptic statements,” said Testart.
Answering questions in the legislature, health minister Lesa Semmler said sometimes the department isn’t able to share information freely, to protect the interests of children in its care.
However, Semmler said, there has been “a huge overhaul” of child and family services in recent years after past reports by the auditor general.
“There are some things that we still are working towards implementing later in the in this 20th Assembly,” she said.
“Part of that work is implementing new legislation, and with that legislation will come more changes to the child and family services program.”
Semmler added that new training for foster families is currently in the works, “so that they fully understand their role and the limitations [and] what can be shared with them.”
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