‘These kids need action today’ Child advocate pushes province for increased services as mandate expands By: Jessica Botelho-Urbanski Posted: 7:00 PM CST Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019

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This article was published 15/01/2019 (2074 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba’s advocate for children and youth will gain new responsibilities and – she hopes – new resources this year, as the provincial government introduces legislation allowing the office to investigate more deaths and serious injuries.

In a meeting with the legislative affairs committee Wednesday, Daphne Penrose answered a number of questions from MLAs about her two most-recent annual reports. She also discussed how her office is handling its widened mandate, and how she believes government is handling serious issues facing youth (such as sexual exploitation, addictions and mental health problems).

On the latter topic, Penrose didn’t mince words. Echoing comments she made in open letters and public reports throughout 2018, the advocate told committee members it is time to act.

“I will continue to talk about the increased need for mental health and addictions services and the fact that, again, the time for discussion and strategies and future tasks and actions is passed. These kids need action today,” she said.

The advocate’s office, which is an independent body of the Manitoba Legislative Assembly, is now able to make policy recommendations to departments beyond Child and Family Services, including areas such as health, justice and education.

In an October Free Press article, provincial Health Minister Cameron Friesen took issue with some of Penrose’s critiques, accusing her of “finger-pointing” rather than working collaboratively to solve problems.

In her opening remarks Wednesday, Penrose alluded to some of the pushback she’s gotten since her office’s scope of duties expanded in March 2018.

“I’m committed to using my time in this office to advance and amplify the voices and opinions of young people, and to do so even when what I’m saying is very difficult and sometimes politically unpopular,” she said.

NDP MLA Andrew Swan asked Penrose whether criticisms like Friesen’s are part of a learning process for government officials who now fall under her scrutiny.

“Yeah, it is… Whether those statements are made or not doesn’t change the fact that I feel very, very strongly about the fact that children in our province need mental health and addictions services,” Penrose said.

“What they need is action and they need treatment and they need services – now. We have children who are at imminent risk of death and dying, who cannot access (services).”

Penrose spoke of growing numbers of children and youth who are being sexually exploited and who are addicted to drugs such as methamphetamine. Often the two issues go hand in hand, she said, as children are exploited while trying to feed their addictions.

‘I’m committed to using my time in this office to advance and amplify the voices and opinions of young people, and to do so even when what I’m saying is very difficult and sometimes politically unpopular’
– Daphne Penrose

The advocate said the province needs more safe spaces to bring sexually-exploited youth, and better training for foster parents to spot signs of abuse.

Her office’s mandate will widen again this year, as government rolls out Phases 2 and 3 of the Child and Family Services Amendment Act.

Families Minister Heather Stefanson said Phase 2 – which will allow the advocate to investigate deaths of children who interacted with justice, mental health or addictions services in the year prior to their death – should come into effect this spring. (Currently, the advocate’s office can only look into deaths of children who were involved with CFS in the year before their deaths.)

Phase 3 – which will let the advocate investigate serious injuries, including sexual assaults – should be rolled out by fall, the minister said.

“I think we have, through the legislation and changes in legislation, have empowered (Penrose) to do a little bit more digging on behalf of children and youth in our province, and I think that that’s a very important thing, and we’re supportive of her in those efforts,” Stefanson said.

The minister also confirmed a youth mental health and addictions strategy is in the works.

After the committee, Penrose said her office is ready for the rollout of Phase 2 of the legislation, but will need more resources for Phase 3. She pointed to other provinces with similar frameworks already in place and advocates investigating between 150 and 200 serious injuries per month.

“We will certainly need additional resources to complete that work,” she said, though she wasn’t able to comment on how many “additional resources” yet.

“When the time comes, and we begin to work with the government, we will talk to them about that.”

jessica.botelho@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @_jessbu