May 25, 2021
Province to Proclaim Additional Provision of the Advocate For Children and Youth Act June 1
– – –Further Expanding the Role of Manitoba's Advocate for Children and Youth Will Enhance Health and Well-Being of Children: Squires
Watch news conference
The Manitoba government is proclaiming an additional provision of the Advocate for Children and Youth Act to expand the mandate of the advocate to review or investigate serious injuries and deaths of children outside the child welfare and adoption systems, Families Minister Rochelle Squires announced today.
“Our government is committed to protecting vulnerable Manitobans and this legislation strengthens the advocate’s powers to review and investigate beyond the child and family services system,” said Squires. “These measures will help ensure public accountability for a range of critical services that protect Manitoba’s most vulnerable children and youth.”
The first phase of the Advocate for Children and Youth Act came into force in 2018, which brought two of the five reviewable services listed in the act into force. The advocate can review and investigate child welfare and adoption services for children and transitional child and family services for young adults.
The three remaining reviewable services will come into effect June 1. The advocate will also have the authority to review and investigate serious injuries and deaths of children who were receiving services or whose families were receiving services related to mental health, addiction or youth justice in the year before their death or serious injury
“As adults, we have to prioritize acting in the best interests of children and that is exactly what this piece of the legislation coming into force does,” said Ainsley Krone, the acting Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth. “By expanding the reviewable services our independent office can investigate, the Manitoba government is ensuring we can do more in-depth investigations to explore system gaps and make recommendations for necessary improvements. My hope is this will ultimately lead to better outcomes for all Manitoba children and youth.”
The Advocate for Children and Youth Act responds to 11 key recommendations made in a report by commissioner Ted Hughes following the Inquiry into the Circumstances Surrounding the Death of Phoenix Sinclair.
The minister noted one area under the act remains un-proclaimed and said provisions related to the duty for the Manitoba government and government-funded agencies to report serious injuries of children involved in these systems to the Manitoba advocate will be announced at a later date. This will allow for the development of a regulation that specifies the appropriate reporting mechanisms for serious injuries.
The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth is an independent and non-partisan officer of the Manitoba legislature, appointed by the legislative assembly.
For more information on the Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth, visit ManitobaAdvocate.ca.
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