Lives of B.C.'s most vulnerable children not improving, says Children's rep
Report by Representative for Children and Youth and the Provincial Health Officer slams lack of progress
Life for the most vulnerable children in B.C. has not improved significantly over the past five years, according to a new report.
The joint report by the Representative for Children and Youth Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond and by Provincial Health Officer Dr. Perry Kendall compared the status of child and youth across six measurable areas.
"With the passage of five years since the last [report], are we able to report improvement? The short answer is 'no'," Turpel-Lafond said at the release of the report Thursday morning in Victoria.
While there are some positive findings, serious gaps in well-being remain for the most vulnerable — aboriginal children and youth and those in government care, she noted.
"Since the onset of the recession in 2008, the number of children living in families with incomes below the poverty line increased to one in five, with very little progress in recent years to improve that," Turpel-Lafond said.
"While the report shows some promising trends in declining teen pregnancy rates, rates of smoking during pregnancy and serious criminal activity, there are some findings that are of great concern," said the province's top medical officer Dr. Perry Kendall.
Report findings
Specifically, the report noted:
- "About one-third of children entering Kindergarten are not as ready as they should be for school.
- "Aboriginal children and youth are 12 times more likely than non-aboriginal children and youth to be in government care.
- "Children in government care are five times more likely than the general population to be designated as having a special education need.
- "Almost 60 per cent of youth in care do not graduate from high school within six years.
- "Half of youth who age out of care when they turn 19 are on income assistance within six months of leaving care."
Kendall and Trupel-Lafond also raised concerns about the decline in data about child well-being since the federal government scrapped the long-form census in 2011.
"As a result, we have lost a critically important source of information, specifically about the more marginalized populations who are under-represented in voluntary surveys," said Kendall in a joint statement issued with the report
Recommendations
On Thursday afternoon, Kendall told On the Coast guest host Gloria Macarenko that the government could be doing more to improve the well-being of vulnerable children and youth in B.C. and that early intervention is key.
"Emotional, social or material deprivation can adversely affect children," said Kendall. "It can be remedied, but it means intervening early."
He stressed the importance of supportive resources for vulnerable populations.
'I think it takes a village to raise a child,' he said. "Government policies can clearly make a difference."
"Whether you're using United Way or whether you're using a multi-purpose school or whether you're putting in adequate daycare and support services or whether you're sending a nurse out to work closely with the mom, there's all kinds of things that can be done."
To hear the full interview with Dr. Perry Kendall listen to the audio labelled Vulnerable Kids