It could be at least a couple of weeks before it is known if anyone from West Central Alberta will sit on a new provincial council being established to report on the health and well-being of children in care in the province.Yvonne Fritz, Minister of Children and Youth Services, says the new council will improve public accountability, while government opposition critics tell the Gazette that remains to be seen.The five-member Child and Family Services Council for Quality Assurance will have a legislated role in quality assurance and accountability through public reporting, Fritz said last week in announcing the council's creation.As well, the new council will receive notification of all deaths and serious injuries of children in the province's care and will determine which incidents need to be independently reviewed to assess services and supports provided by the ministry, she said.The formation of the new council comes, in part, in response to the findings of an inquiry into the death of 14-month-old Sarvia (Elizabeth) Velasquez, who at one time had been in provincial care.The panel conducting the inquiry recommended improvements to the social safety net overseeing children in provincial care.Harry Chase, Liberal opposition Child and Youth Services critic, told the Gazette the creation of the new council is a move forward ñ but not a substitute for a completely independent children's advocate.ìIt's a step in the right direction towards transparency and accountability, but it does not change the need that every other province has recognized to have an independent children's advocate reporting directly to the assembly,î Chase.ìIt's not a substitute to that, but it is heading in that direction, which has been lacking in this province. An independent children's advocate would have considerably greater power.ìFor the council to work, whistleblower protection in this province would have to be revised tremendously for people to feel free to come forward to this quality council.îChase said he would encourage people to sit on the council, but only if the government makes it accountable to the Legislature.ìDo it provided that the government follows through on that,î he said. ìAt this point the minister has suggested that if her opinion was carried out and put into policy, this council would report directly to the legislature. If that's the case, then we are several steps ahead than we currently are, where now it's all behind closed doors.îNDP Child and Youth Services critic Rachel Notley said she does not believe the new council will have the independent power to adequately deal with children-in-care issues.ìI think it's a halfway measure that is designed to distract Albertans from the fact that the government is not doing what it should be doing, which is more effectively protecting Alberta's most vulnerable,î Notley told the Gazette.ìI think what we need is an advocate who is an officer who has complete independence. Generally speaking this is a council that will answer to the minister, will be appointed by the minister and will report through the minister. It will also be very limited as to the kind of information they will be able to disclose.ìI'm not at all convinced that it will be well structured to give the kind of information that Albertans really need to have.îJohn Tuckwell, spokesperson for the Department of Children and Youth Services, said the makeup of the new council will be set by an interim council that will be put together over the next weeks.The interim council will set the terms of reference and the legislation for the new permanent council.The minister will appoint members of both the interim and the permanent council, he said.ìThe council members will be selected for their expertise in child welfare, health care and other areas,î Tuckwell told the Gazette. ìWe don't have a list of names right now. In the longer term the appointment terms will be included in the terms of reference. Ultimately the interim council will set the long-term plan for the council.îThe membership of the permanent council will include Albertans but may also include experts from outside the province, he said.
