Despite being given just one day to look over the territorial government's plan to improve child and family services, MLAs agreed to push forward with a review because of significant public interest following a scathing Auditor General report, tabled Oct. 23.
Territorial health authorities will request more financial support and additional positions following a directive from Health Minister Glen Abernethy to assess the department's needs, said Health and Social Services deputy minister Bruce Cooper.
The authority cannot reveal the extent of its budget needs until February when the legislative assembly resumes.
If the authority is successful in its plea for more supports, there will be new positions created to improve the ratio of time spent on child protection, said Cooper.
The authorities surveyed all of its child welfare workers about how they spend their time. The results showed that child protection workers are spending, on average, 25 hours per week on child protection.
“We’ve done some fulsome analysis. I feel confident with the business case we’ve put together,” he said.
There is currently no framework for caseload caps that the NWT could use, leaving it to rely on American standards for caseload levels.
The authorities did not initially study workflow and how it could introduce other roles to alleviate stress from workers burdened with significant caseloads, said Cooper.
MLAs frustrated with limited time for review
Kam Lake MLA Kieron Testart chided the health authority for failing to share its plans with the committee within three required days of the meeting.
MLAs had little time to go through the plan and share concerns on behalf of residents, said Hay River North MLA RJ Simpson, who acknowledged positive planned improvements including better reporting and tracking measures.
"We can't expect the auditor general to keep ringing the alarm bells, while we do nothing," said Simpson.
Sahtu MLA questions strength of permanent care options
Sahtu MLA Daniel McNeely asked if permanent guardianship agreements will be created with clearly outlined responsibilities.
The agreements involve a transfer of parental rights and the authorities are now clarifying roles for screening and support should families pursue that option, said Cooper.
"We believe the guardianship practice is now clearer and better informed by legal opinion. The risks identified on any particular case have been fully reviewed," he said.
“We accept there was confusion and a lack of clarity in our standards … in supporting guardianship applications in the court,” he said.
The authority has finalized a guardianship standard requiring proper standards be completed before placing a child in permanent care. It also clarifies financial support and will help guardians understand their roles.
When asked by MLA Julie Green when the authorities would complete the requisite checks for existing guardianship agreements, Cooper said the department will have to navigate legal issues where agreements are already set up. He could not state a deadline for completion of the checks during today's committee meeting.
To address the problem of inadequate supervision and absent supervision agreements, the authority has established minimum contact guidelines for out-of-territory placements. It will also develop a monitoring program for out of territory placements.
The department has trained regional workers how to complete quality reviews and will continue to provide training and support for child and family services staff, said Cooper.
The authority is planning expanded outreach to the communities, he said. Responding to the audit has been "expensive" for the authorities, but they are committed to a more in-depth consultation, he said.
New standards for equitable support
The level of financial support a family receives is variable, a problem identified by MLA Herb Nakimayak during a committee meeting Dec. 12, which means that some families (including grandparents) aren't equitably funded to support children.
Families have many "hoops to jump through" before they get the care they need to keep their children or transfer care to grandparents, said Nakimayak.
Working on mental health and housing are also critical to improving outcomes for children and families, he said.
"I encourage working with Indigenous governments on this. If we fail to make this work then really we're part of the problem as well," he said.
The department adjusted and increased foster care rates across the NWT as of April 2018. It will revise key standards to provide equitable supports for foster children.
People are forced to make difficult choices because of poverty, lack of housing or mental health, said Nakimayak, who presented concerns about children moved repeatedly.
The department's new Matrix system will also track the number of moves a child makes to prevent repeated moves, said Cooper.