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June 17, 1996
(House of Assembly)
The following is being distributed at the request of the
Select Committee on Children's Interests:
Select Committe on Children's Interests -
Committe tables final report
"Over the past 18 months this committee and its
predecessor have spoken with the people of this province about
their concerns for our children and youth. Today the committee
has tabled a comprehensive report that details not only what
needs to be done, but how to do it." says committee
chairperson, Gerald Smith.
The report, LISTENing & ACTing: A Plan for Child, Youth
and Community Empowerment, recommends the creation of a Child,
Youth and Family Secretariat within government and a Child &
Youth Advocate reporting to the legislature. These two new
government agencies will carry out the task of reforming and
renewing this province's approach to children, youth, their
families and communities. The secretariat and the advocate would
provide the leadership within government and society to implement
the majority of the 64 specific recommendations of the report.
"It is important to point out that the recommendations
are not free-standing recommendations. The committee has quite
deliberately placed them within the context of the secretariat
and the advocate. The recommendations are the changes we seek,
but the secretariat and the advocate, together, are the vehicles
that will oversee and implement the changes," says Harvey
Hodder.
LISTENing & ACTing sets down specific goals and objectives
for government to follow in order to address child, youth and
family issues within the context of the community in which they
live. We have set these goals within a framework for
implementation and we have given time guidelines for
implementation. It is a comprehensive response to the mandate
granted to us by the House of Assembly," Smith says.
The committee travelled to 13 communities across Newfoundland
and Labrador hearing from over 600 people. Two hundred and
fifteen written submissions were accepted. The committee also
held a series of in camera sessions with foster children and with
front-line civil servants to hear their views and concerns.
The Select Committee on Children's Interests was appointed by
the 42nd General Assembly on December 16, 1994 with Patt Cowan,
then MHA for Conception Bay South, as the chairperson. This
committee was dissolved with the call of the provincial election
in January, but a new committee was struck by the House of
Assembly on March 26, 1996. The members of this committee are
Gerald Smith, (chairperson), Harvey Hodder (vice- chairperson)
and Mary Hodder (member).
NOTE: This report is available on the government's
World Wide
Web site (www.gov.nl.ca)
A Proposal for a Child, Youth & Family
Secretariat
and a Children & Youth Advocate.
BACKGROUNDER
- The current system of children-related services is
extensive, but often fragmented and uncoordinated. The
system currently forces children and their families to
fit into it, rather than the system responding to the
total needs of an individual child and his or her family.
Government
is presently implementing the recommendations of The
Classroom Issues Report. This is a small, but a
significant step along the road to providing integrated
services to children and their families.
Research clearly shows that proactive, community-based
services offer the best chance of responding to the cause
of social problems rather than just the symptoms of it.
The Select Committee on Children's Interests is
recommending to the House of Assembly a two-pronged
approach for redressing the crisis-oriented structure
through which many of the services to children, youth and
their families are currently delivered.
PROPOSAL
- An examination of efforts in other jurisdictions to
address the
above-mentioned issues clearly indicated that two
complementary
government structures will be required to effect change.
The first
is A Child, Youth and Family Secretariat within the
government and
the second is A Child and Youth Advocate reporting to the
legislature.
1. CHILD, YOUTH AND FAMILY SECRETARIAT
- The secretariat would report to Cabinet through the
Social Policy
Committee of Cabinet. The secretariat would have three
mechanisms
to advise and assist it:1) a Voluntary Community
Advisory Committee;
2) a four-member advisory committee made up of the deputy
ministers of Justice, Social Services, Health and
Education;
3) focus groups with youth and community leaders.
Objective
Mandate
- 1) recommend to Cabinet changes that will see a
results-oriented
bureaucracy;2) recommend to Cabinet changes that will
see an emphasis on
prevention-oriented programs;
3) provide government with cost-effectiveness analysis
in the
area of social policy;
4) recommend departmental and program changes to
Cabinet;
5) oversee all departmental and program changes
approved by
Cabinet;
6) facilitate the spending of federal and provincial
social
policy dollars to ensure maximum benefit:
7) institute mechanisms within social programs and
government,
generally, that will facilitate age appropriate input
from
children intodecisions that affects them.
Personnel
- An assistant deputy minister drawn from existing
personnel would
head the secretariat. He or she would then, in turn,
second
personnel from any department and/or agency of government
subject
to the agreement of the Social Policy Committee. Staff
complement
would be between 15 and 20 people at any one time. No
government
department would have the right to refuse a secondment to
the
secretariat.
Funding
- With the use of both part-time and full-time secondments
from with
government and government-funded agencies (i.e. school
boards) there
financial implications for government should be very
small.
Legislative framework
- While the secretariat does not require legislative
authority to
carry out its mandate, the committee recommends that it
should be
created by legislation. The legislation would limit it to
between a
five and six year lifespan.The committee recommends
that the secretariat have the power,
independent of any other department or agency within
government,
save the Cabinet, to effect changes in policies,
programs,
legislation and government structures/departments.
2. CHILD AND YOUTH ADVOCATE
Objective
- The Advocate's Office would provide an avenue for the
voices of
children, youth and their natural advocates to be heard
within the
structure of government. It would work to educate the
general
public concerning the rights of the child and to build
partnerships
with natural advocates in the community.
The office
would be responsible, along with the secretariat, for
promoting service integration, proactive policies and
community-
based services. In addition, it could be responsible for
ongoing
social research, both primary and secondary.
The office could provide valuable assistance to
government,
indirectly, by helping to explain the long-term benefits
of efforts
to integrate services and empower communities.
Mandate
- 1) an independent office
2) a government-wide mandate
3) a "systems advocate"
4) an office for research and analysis
5) a provincial clearing house for information and ideas
6) a "pendulum" monitor
Personnel
- The advocate would be appointed by the House of Assembly
for a five
year term and would be eligible for one further term. The
Office of the
Advocate would consist of a small permanent staff of five
people. The
office could also hire additional research staff on an
ad-hoc basis.
Funding
- This office would require new monies. Based upon an
examination of
the six other provinces that have advocacy offices, the
committee estimates the office approximately $400,000 per
annum.
Legislative Framework
- The Office of a Children's Advocate would be created
through a new
Act of the House of Assembly. The act would give the
office both
an independent stance and a vision for the future.
Contact: Richard Abraham, (709) 729-2683
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