A new report from the Office of the Child and Youth Advocate (OCYA) paints a shocking picture of vulnerable Alberta young people receiving grossly inadequate levels of provincial government support.
The report is both concerning and alarming and its call for immediate corrective action must not be ignored.
Whether the UCP government is prepared to take the required action remains an open question. What is known is that Albertans in rural and urban communities alike will expect that everything possible will be done, and done without delay, to address service-delivery gaps for young people with complex needs.
The OCYA is an independent office of the Alberta legislature. In preparing its report, the advocate examined the deaths of 15 young people who died between Oct. 1, 2021 and March 31, 2022.
“Many young people with complex needs are not receiving adequate supports and that must be rectified,” said Terri Pelton, Alberta’s Child and Youth Advocate. “We recognize some promising new initiatives are being developed. However, in the meantime we need immediate action to address these service gaps and create better outcomes for these children and youth.”
Many of the young who died had complex needs that required cross-system support, and in some circumstances, services were not available or did not exist to meet their needs, she said.
The advocate is recommending that the ministries of Health, Education, Children’s Services, Community and Social Services and Justice and Solicitor General develop and publicly report on a coordinated action plan to address service gaps for young people with complex needs.
In 2021, the advocate recommended that the UCP government develop and implement a youth-specific opioid and substance abuse strategy. To date, that has not been done, placing young people at unreasonable and preventable risk.
“It is critical that the government act so that fewer young lives are lost,” she said.
Residents across this region will be watching closely to see what action, if any, the post-Jason Kenney UCP takes to better protect Alberta’s vulnerable young people.
Dan Singleton is an editor with the Albertan.
