DESMORALIZE THE ENEMY (POOR FAMILIES) FROM WITHIN BY SURPRICE, TERROR, SABOTAGE, ASSASSINATION, THIS IS WAR OF THE FUTURE” – A. Hitler

Reports of child deaths, injuries on rise as watchdog secures more funding

Emma Graney

Reports of deaths or serious injuries to children involved with the government care system have more than tripled in the last five years.

“Each report is of a child’s tragedy (or) tragic circumstances,” child and youth advocate Del Graff told the Journal on Tuesday.

“It’s easy to lose sight of the fact that when we talk about reports, we’re talking about children’s lives being lost or seriously impaired.”

The number of reports in 2016-17 were more than three times those in 2012-13, when the province’s child and youth advocate began tracking the status of children in care.

Between April 1 and Sept. 30 this year, Graff’s office received 49 reports of deaths or serious injuries. 

When a child or youth is injured or dies in care, or within two years of receiving services, the case goes to Graff’s office.

In 2012-13, 20 files came across his desk. The next year, the scope of his investigations widened and that figure increased to 35.

In 2016-17, the number was up to 76 — the largest since his office became involved five years ago.

If cases continue to be reported at their current trajectory, Alberta stands to surpass that grim record in 2017-18. 

It’s not the extra work for his office that concerns Graff — it’s the increase in the number of children dying or being injured.

Since 2012, the office has also seen increases of 22 per cent in intakes, 18 per cent in the number of young people served through the office, and general inquires have more than doubled.

More cash for advocate’s office

Graff presented the figures to a legislative committee Tuesday, where he requested an extra $720,000 in the next three months to help cope with increased demands.

The increase isn’t so much from the extra cases it’s taking on, as the impact recent legislative changes will have when they kick in April 1.

Those changes were the result of recommendations made by Alberta’s all-party ministerial child intervention panel. Graff’s office will now examine every death of a child in government 

care, publicly report on each child death review, and complete each investigation within one year.

To meet deadlines and cope with probable increased demands, Graff’s office requested funding for seven new staff members, including three more investigators.

Graff told the committee the cash is needed prior to his next budget to ensure staff are in place and trained when changes kick in April 1. 

The committee agreed. The increase sees the annual budget for 2017-18 grow to just under $14 million from $13.2 million. 

Graff told the Journal that although his office won’t be at full capacity April 1, it will be ready to do the extra work expected of it.

NDP members reject seeing draft regulation

The committee didn’t grant all of Graff’s requests at Tuesday’s meeting. 

In a Sept. 28 letter, the advocate had also asked the committee to look over draft regulation changes to the Child Protection and Accountability Act, and approve them before they’re finalized. 

United Conservative Party MLA and committee member Glenn van Dijken proposed the group ask the children’s services ministry for copies of the draft regulations, but his motion was rejected by a vote split down party lines. 

NDP MLA and committee member Brian Malkinson told the Journal the child intervention panel should review the draft regulations, not the committee.

Van Dijken called the move “disappointing.”  

“I felt it was a reasonable request by the child and youth advocate,” he told the Journal, adding he worried about the lack of transparency.