Children's Services implementing 6 new actions after record number of child, youth deaths

Six new policy changes aimed at improving the safety for vulnerable children and youth in Alberta were unveiled by Children's Services Thursday. 

The changes come as the province recorded the highest number of deaths of children or youths who were in care or recently received services in at least a decade.

Forty-five deaths were reported between April 1, 2021 and Feb. 28, 2022, compared to the average of around 33 in the previous four fiscal years.

After seeing the tragic trend in deaths last fall, Children's Services Minister Rebecca Schulz ordered a review.

The ministry unveiled those new actions coming out of three separate reviews undertaken by the ministry using internal data.

A ministry report notes COVID-19 has uniquely impacted children and youth while the opioid crisis remains a significant concern.

"We do know that the last two years have been exceptionally difficult for everybody, not just in Alberta, but especially so for those who are most vulnerable," Schulz said in an interview Thursday.

"We also know that there are things that we can do to improve this system and make sure that there are the right supports in place."

The actions are aimed at increasing safety planning, oversight and reporting. They are:

• A system for early identification for child or youth case plans that need extra attention. In youth cases, focus will be placed on ensuring there is a plan to assist in transitioning out of care.

• Reviewing child intervention contracts to ensure community organization services address safety concerns identified by the ministry on top of parents' strengths and wellness.

• Improving safety planning by requiring updates to a safety plan when there are major life events in a family or when a child is returning home. The roles and responsibilities of contracted agency or community organization staff in implementation will be stated as part of these changes.

• A new casework supervision model aimed at focusing attention on child safety before other factors, improving decision-making and providing coaching and mentoring to caseworkers.

• Another $1 million in funding to Family Resource Networks to increase access to mental health supports. The ministry also promises to continue working with Alberta Health Services to ensure mental health and addictions services are available and reflect a recovery-oriented system of care.

• Adding a five-day support plan to requirements for kinship care, on top of already-existing requirements of an initial safety placement checklist, a 30-day review and a home study completed within 60 days.

Schulz said many of the internal policies are being implemented immediately with the new case supervision model expected to be up and running by the fall.

Work to implement actions involving service partners like contracted agencies and delegated First Nations agencies will begin right away, she said.

Opioid crisis

The report notes the past two years have shown an increase in opioid deaths in the 18 to 23 age group.

These deaths were disproportionately higher for young adults receiving services, representing only 0.6 per cent of the overall population demographic but accounting for about 10 per cent of opioid deaths among the age group.

"Each one of these cases is exceptionally complex and there isn't just one thing we could do to fix this system, it's going to require changes to policy," Schulz said, adding that addressing the issue will mean ensuring mental health and addictions supports are in place. 

The report also highlights previous initiatives undertaken by the government, including a transition to adulthood program launched last month, a targeted mentoring program, and work to create 164 new therapeutic foster spaces throughout the province.

A $900 payment to kinship care families at the onset of child placement also launched this month.