Ministers Statement

Statement from Minister Hancock

November 26, 2013

I want our children in care to experience what every child in this province should enjoy that is a sa e, lovin! and nurturin! home that !ives them every possible opportunity to reach their ull potential" I #now all $%&s in the le!islature share my !oal" 'hat(s why I welcome the )dmonton *ournal and +al!ary ,erald(s joint series on the tra!ic deaths o children in care this is an important and heartbrea#in! issue that merits public discussion and debate" 'he stories told are a reminder that we need to do everythin! we can to protect &lberta(s children" -e have been wor#in! hard" 'he *ournal and ,erald loo#ed at case data rom 1.../200., but three si!ni icant chan!es have happened over the last two years0 11 In 2012, we created the independent 2 ice o the +hild and 3outh &dvocate" 4nder our le!islation, the &dvocate must be noti ied o all serious injuries and deaths o children receivin! services 5whether they are in the province(s care or not1 and can access all !overnment in ormation relatin! to the child in 6uestion" 21 -e established the +hild and 7amily 8ervices +ouncil or 9uality &ssurance" 'he +ouncil is made up o experts and advocates who are appointed by !overnment but who wor# independently with ,uman 8ervices to identi y e ective practices and ma#e recommendations to the $inister or improvin! and stren!thenin! child intervention services" 31 In 2012, our !overnment be!an reportin! all deaths o children in care, re!ardless o their cause" 'his in ormation is available in the ,uman 8ervices &nnual :eport as well as the +hild and 3outh &dvocate(s &nnual :eport" In addition, every time a child in the care or custody o ,uman 8ervices dies no matter the cause the 2 ice o the +hie $edical )xaminer conducts an investi!ation" ;ut, when it comes to protectin! our children, we can always do better one death o a child in care is one too many" 'his wee#(s debate in the le!islature is a stron! reminder that we can all play an important role in that process" 'hat(s why I have invited our opposition collea!ues to join a ministerial roundtable to discuss critical 6uestions raised about the death o children in care" %i#e my opposition collea!ues, I want to have con idence that we(re publicly reportin! the ri!ht in ormation about these deaths and ollowin! the ri!ht processes when they happen" $y hope is that our ministerial roundtable will table a report in the le!islature, or debate" In addition, be ore that roundtable ta#es place, I have also o ered my opposition critics access to a ull, in/depth brie in! about the measures we currently have in place to prevent deaths rom happenin! and to respond when tra!edy stri#es"

-e(ve been wor#in! hard to protect all o &lberta(s children" &nd we(re !oin! to #eep movin! orward" 'hat(s why, this wee#, I committed to publicly trac#in! and reportin! our pro!ress toward meetin! all recommendations whether they(re rom the +hild and 7amily 8ervices +ouncil or 9uality &ssurance, the +hild &dvocate or the +hie $edical )xaminer that relate to children in care" I want &lbertans to #now how we(re doin! and have con idence that their child wel are system is protectin! and nurturin! &lberta(s most vulnerable children" 'here is always more to do" &nd we(re !oin! to #eep ma#in! our system better or &lberta(s children, to!ether"

Background: What happens when an incident occurs? -henever there is an incident involvin! a child in care, ,uman 8ervices re lects on our practice to review where we did well and identi y areas o improvement or our $inistry as well as our cross/ ministry and community service delivery partners" o )very death o a child in care is reported by the ministry to the $edical )xaminer who then noti ies the 7atality :eview ;oard" o 'he 7atality :eview ;oard may ma#e a recommendation to the $inister o *ustice and 8olicitor <eneral to call a atality in6uiry" o 'he +hild and 7amily 8ervices +ouncil or 9uality &ssurance is noti ied o all serious injuries and deaths o children in care" o 'he +hild and 3outh &dvocate is noti ied o all serious injuries and deaths o any child receivin! services" o 'he &dvocate may underta#e an independent review and investi!ate systemic issues i he believes it will be in the best interest o the public" o &ny learnin!s rom these events are shared with ,uman 8ervices sta " 8ince 2012, in response to re6uests rom the public or more in ormation, my ministry has reported all deaths o children in care" 'his in ormation is available in the ,uman 8ervices &nnual :eport as well as the +hild and 3outh &dvocate(s &nnual :eport" =rior to 2012, our annual reports did not report the deaths o children who die in care due to natural causes, medical conditions, or accidents 5li#e a motor vehicle accident or an accidental all1" -e also did not report the deaths o in ants who came into care with pre/existin!, severe medical conditions that ma#e them ra!ile and o ten led to death" Child and Youth Advocate 'he independent 2 ice o the +hild and 3outh &dvocate was established on &pril 1, 2012" 'he &dvocate is noti ied o all deaths o children receivin! services 5in care and not in care > includin! 7amily )nhancement1" o 'he &dvocate may independently review or investi!ate systemic issues related to any child receivin! services i he believes a review or investi!ation is warranted, or in the public interest" 'he $inistry receives the reports and ta#es action as re6uired, includin! sharin! any learnin!s with sta " 2 the systemic issues raised in previous annual reports, many o the noted policies

have been implemented and the majority o the issues identi ied by the &dvocate have been resolved" 'he +hild and 3outh &dvocate has su!!ested that the +ouncil or 9uality &ssurance partner with the ,ealth 9uality +ouncil to loo# at access to mental health services or children and youth in care is interestin! and somethin! we will explore" o -e have orwarded this recommendation to the +ouncil or 9uality &ssurance or their consideration" 'he +hild and 3outh &dvocate is a member o this council and will be included in their discussions about this recommendation" o In the meantime, ,uman 8ervices is deliverin! mental health irst aid trainin! and sponsors a +hildren(s $ental ,ealth %earnin! series so that we can provide additional support or rontline sta and care!ivers who are wor#in! with children and youth who have mental health challen!es"

Council for Quality Assurance 'he +hild and 7amily 8ervices +ouncil or 9uality &ssurance was established in the all o 2011 and then irmly established in le!islation as recommended by the 2010 +hild Intervention 8ystem :eview and supported by the 2011 )xternal :eview =anel" o 'he +ouncil is noti ied o all serious injuries and deaths o children in care and can call an external review o any death o a child in care" o 'he +ouncil is a multidisciplinary body o experts who wor# with the $inistry to identi y e ective practices and ma#e recommendations to the $inister or improvin! and stren!thenin! child intervention services" o &s per a recommendation rom the +ouncil or 9uality &ssurance, we are developin! a ormal mechanism to trac# action on recommendations and implementation status" 'he members o the +ouncil are0 o ?r" %ionel ?ibden 5+hair1, =ediatrician $edical ?irector, +hild and &dolescent =rotection +entre, 8tollery +hildren(s ,ospital o ?el <ra , +hild and 3outh &dvocate o ?r" <ayla :o!ers, ormer ?ean, 7aculty o 8ocial -or#, 4niversity o +al!ary o ?onna -allace, ?irector, =ublic ,ealth Nursin!, &lberta ,ealth 8ervices +al!ary @one o 8ta 8er!eant Aent ,enderson, +hild =rotection 8ection, )dmonton =olice 8ervice o )va +ardinal, +ree )lder o $arlene <raham, *ud!e o the =rovincial +ourt o &lberta

Children First Act 'he +hildren 7irst &ct was passed by the %e!islative &ssembly in $ay 2013" 'he &ct updates and amends le!islation and enhances the tools, process and policies that impact how !overnment and service providers deliver pro!rams and services or children and youth" o 2ne o the #ey amendments establishes a 7amily Biolence ?eath :eview +ommittee" +hildren who are exposed to violence in the home or the loss o parent due to amily violence can be pro oundly a ected" =reventin! and reducin! amily violence is a vital part o protectin! children" o In ormation sharin! provisions ma#e it clear that there is an expectation that all individuals wor#in! or the health, sa ety and education o a child shall share in ormation appropriately in the best interests o the child"

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a +hildrenCs +harter will be developed, and all policies o !overnment relatin! to children will be reviewed" ;oth the +harter and the reviews will be brou!ht be ore the %e!islature" 8peci ic amendments were made to a number o acts to provide more certainty in dealin! with situations where children are endan!ered" 'he concept o a desi!nated D+hild Intervention -or#erD with speci ied re6uirements as to trainin!, s#ills and expertise and speci ic dele!ated authorities was established and will be made e ective as the re!ulations are developed" 'he 'o!ether -e :aise 'omorrow public en!a!ement held over the summer are in ormin! the creation o a +hildrenCs +harter, and strate!ies around eliminatin! child poverty and improvin! early childhood development"

Information Sharing 8harin! in ormation across jurisdictions and authorities involved in the child intervention system is critical" -e are stren!thenin! our in ormation sharin! strate!y to ensure in ormation sharin! practices within !overnment and with service a!encies and partners 5school boards, &lberta ,ealth 8ervices or example1 support the best decisions possible or the health, education and sa ety o children and amilies" :ecommendations rom the 2010 +hild Intervention 8ystem :eview and the 2011 +al!ary )xpert =anel hi!hli!hted the value o sharin! lessons learned rom critical incidents with those who wor# directly with children and amilies, so that any necessary chan!es in practice can be made" )very death o a child in care is reported by the ministry to the $edical )xaminer who then noti ies the 7atality :eview ;oard"

Medical !aminer"Fatality #eview $oard 'he independent 2 ice o the +hie $edical )xaminer must be noti ied whenever there is a death o a child who was involved with the ministry" 'he 2 ice o the +hie $edical )xaminer conducts an investi!ation whenever a child(s death occurs suddenly or cannot be explained, or when the child is in the care or custody o ,uman 8ervices" 'he investi!ation is held to determine !eneral circumstances around the child(s death" 'he $edical )xaminer reports to the 7atality :eview ;oard" &ll deaths o children in care must also be reviewed by the 7atality :eview ;oard or consideration or a public atality in6uiry unless the board is satis ied that the death was due to natural causes" 'he 7atality :eview ;oard is responsible or reviewin! certain deaths investi!ated by the 2 ice o the +hie $edical )xaminer and recommendin! to the $inister o *ustice and &ttorney <eneral whether a public atality in6uiry should be held" 'he board is appointed by the lieutenant !overnor in council and is composed o a lawyer, a physician, and a layperson" +ases reviewed by the board !enerally include accidental deaths 5where recommendations could be made at a public atality in6uiry or the prevention o similar deaths in the uture1, cases where the cause and manner o death remain undetermined a ter a complete investi!ation, and deaths o individuals who are in police custody, in prison, certi ied under the $ental ,ealth &ct, or under the ?irector o +hild -el areCs !uardianship or in the directorCs custody"

'he 7atality :eview ;oard may recommend a public atality in6uiry i there is a possibility o preventin! similar deaths in the uture or i there is a need or public protection or clari ication o circumstances surroundin! a case" 'he $inister o *ustice and 8olicitor <eneral calls the atality in6uiry, which is a public process overseen by a jud!e" 'he in6uiry establishes cause, manner, time, place and circumstances o death, as well as the identity o the deceased" *ud!es may ma#e recommendations to prevent similar occurrences, but are prohibited rom ma#in! indin!s o le!al responsibility" 'he 7atality In6uiries &ct re6uires that a written report is made available to the public" 'he ministry provides a written public response to each report"

Al%erta &ulnera%le Infant #esponse 'eam (A&I#') &BI:', a multi/disciplinary team 5child intervention, health and law en orcement1 that supports amilies #nown to the ministry who have very youn! in ants 5up to our months old1" &BI:' is operatin! in &lberta out o two sites0 o +al!ary and &rea +78&0 &BI:' runs out o the 8heldon Aennedy +hild &dvocacy +entre and has been in operation since $ay 2011" In the last year, +al!ary also added an &bori!inal &BI:' team that operates out o the +78&(s &bori!inal 8ervices site" 8ince inception, &BI:' team has assessed E23 children" o )dmonton and &rea +78&0 &BI:' runs out o the +risis 4nit and has been in operation since *anuary 2012" 8ince inception, this &BI:' team has assessed 262 children" -e also support multi/disciplinary approaches to dealin! with child abuse throu!h the @ebra +hild =rotection +entre in )dmonton and +aribou +hild and 3outh +entre in <rande =rairie"