Photo Courtesy Canadian Press

By rdnewsNOW Staff

Alberta

Child and Youth Advocate releases mandatory reviews concerning 18 young people

Mar 28, 2023 | 2:22 PM

The Office of the Child and Youth Advocate (OCYA) in Alberta has released its reviews into the circumstances of 18 young people who passed away between April 1, 2022 and September 30, 2022.

Provincial officials say the report highlights the importance of promoting the well-being of children and families, cultural connection, and urgent action to curb drug toxicity. This mandatory report is described as the largest the office has released.

“This report highlights the importance of promoting the well-being of children and families to help reduce these tragic outcomes so that young people have the brightest possible futures,” says Terri Pelton, Alberta’s Child and Youth Advocate. “Well-being encompasses safety and security, supportive and nurturing relationships, and a sense of belonging within family, community, and culture. This is increasingly important for young people involved with Child Intervention Services because they are more likely to have had traumatic experiences and their connections disrupted.”

Pelton notes the OCYA continues to receive notifications about a large number of young people dying from drug-related causes. Of significant concern, this crisis is impacting younger children, say government officials. In this report, the youngest was 13-years-old when she passed away from drug toxicity. Officials say the Advocate has repeatedly called for urgent action to implement a youth opioid and substance use strategy to address the ongoing and tragic loss of young lives to drug toxicity.

“The disproportionate number of Indigenous youth dying, related to addictions, has a direct link to the loss of traditional ways of knowing and access to ceremony,” says Dr. Lana Potts, Medical Director Aisokinaki Clinic, Piikani Nation. “Indigenous populations have traditional ways of capacity building and maintaining healthy communities. We need to invest in sustainable pathways back to community to stop this epidemic.”

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The government says there remain concerns for Indigenous young people’s ability to receive services and supports and remain connected to their family, community, and culture. Officials say child-serving systems continue to be over-involved in the lives of Indigenous young people and their families. In this report, 14 of the 18 children and youth were Indigenous.

The government says the Advocate is making two recommendations related to ensuring Indigenous young people in care are meaningfully connected to their families, community, and culture to promote their overall well-being:

• The Ministry of Children’s Services should examine the connections for each Indigenous child in the care of the Director, and identify tailored actions that build and strengthen connections with their family, community, and culture.
• The Ministry of Children’s Services should publicly report on summary findings from their examination of all Indigenous children and their unique connections to their families, communities, and cultures within 12 months and provide ongoing annual updates.

Provincial officials note that cultural connection is an intrinsic right of Indigenous peoples under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The government says it is critically important that these rights are upheld.

“I believe if the recommendations of the Child and Youth Advocate are followed fully, there would be a noticeable difference in these tragic statistics, not just in the lives of those lost, but in the lives of those who live,” shares Cheryl Whiskeyjack, Executive Director, Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society. “My work involves serving the Indigenous community in its entire life spectrum from babies to seniors and we are often addressing historical trauma as part of the work to get folks housed, employed, parenting, educated all while often dealing with systems that are intrusive and not considerate of the importance of connection to culture and community being the very thing that will net better outcomes in all areas of their life and lifespan.”

A copy of the reviews is available here: ocya.alberta.ca/adult/publications/investigative-review/.

The Office of the Child and Youth Advocate is an independent office of the Legislature of Alberta. We stand up for young people.