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By Josh Hall | @Vancan19

35 were indigenous

Reviews complete for nearly 50 youth dead or injured in past year: Child and Youth Advocate

Apr 11, 2024 | 10:51 AM

The Office of the Child and Youth Advocate (OCYA) says investigative reviews for 48 young people who died or were seriously injured in the past year are now complete.

The OCYA says 47 of the 48 are confirmed to have passed away, with one serious injury pending.

Of the 48, 35 were Indigenous. At the time of their passing or serious injury, 12 of the young people were in care, 20 were receiving child intervention services, and 16 had received services within the previous two years.

Terri Pelton, the provincial Child and Youth Advocate, provided an update to the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly in recent days. The reviews span from April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024.

“More must be done to provide Indigenous young people with the supports they need and to help them stay connected with their families, communities, and cultures,” said Pelton.

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“It’s deeply concerning to see children as young as 12 using substances, and sadly, we’ve seen even younger in the past. When children and families are struggling, it’s crucial they receive early support and care so we can reduce the number of lives lost to this crisis.”

One of the more frequent causes of death of those who passed was drug toxicity, with several children starting substance use very young.

The findings of the 48 reviews will inform a consolidated investigative review report, which will make recommendations to government to improve the circumstances of young people in similar situations, according to the OCYA.

The individual investigative reviews for each of the young people can be found here.

It’s further noted that in the aforementioned reporting period, there were 83 total notifications of deaths or serious injury. Investigative reviews for each notification can be released up to one year from the time of notification.

In a statement released earlier this week, the Opposition Alberta NDP said that the UCP are failing kids and youth in care.

“Today’s reports … showed that Alberta’s youth are at a growing risk of serious injury and death, particularly as a result of toxic drugs. Children as young as 12 are facing addictions and are not getting the required wraparound supports to save lives,” says Diana Batten, Critic for Children’s Services.

“Indigenous youth continue to be seriously overrepresented in these heartbreaking statistics, and the UCP have given no indication that they will follow through on recommendations from the OCYA to save the lives of Alberta’s youth. Danielle Smith and the UCP need to stop ignoring this crisis and take immediate steps to invest in the wraparound services that kids need so that they can thrive.”

On Tuesday, rdnewsNOW requested a statement from Searle Turton, Minister of Children and Family Services, and received one Thursday morning from his press secretary.

“The loss of any life, but especially a child or youth is an absolute tragedy. Our thoughts are with the loved ones of these children. We are going to continue the work in building a system that protects and cares for children and youth in care,” writes Ashli Barrett.

“Alberta’s government partners with organizations to support the mental health and wellbeing of youth including CASA Mental Health, Kids Help Phone, and other community service providers that give youth an opportunity to also pursue recovery. Following a recommendation from the OCYA, we have created a program to give youth in care immediate access to opioid treatment medication at no cost, helping them pursue recovery from the deadly disease of addiction. We know Indigenous children and youth benefit from cultural and family connections, which is why we are committed to supporting First Nations as they work toward or assume authority over children and family services. Our government ensures cultural plans are developed and adhered to for all children in care to make sure they are able to maintain and build connection with family and community.”

Barrett notes that in an effort to minimize the number of children and youth in care and the need for child intervention services, the province has invested $66.7 million in Family Resource Networks to provide prevention and early intervention supports and free programming.

Since 2013, she adds, the OCYA has issued 114 recommendations to Children and Family Services. Of those, 106 have been implemented, and seven are in progress.

The Office of the Child and Youth Advocate is an independent office of the Alberta Legislature. It represents the rights, interests, and viewpoints of children and youth receiving designated government services.

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