Children's advocates urge federal government to reduce number of Aboriginal children in care
- EFN Staff | November 19, 2014
The Canadian Council of Child and Youth Advocates (CCCYA) is urging the federal government and provincial/ territorial governments to take immediate action to reduce the number of Aboriginal children in care in child welfare systems across Canada.
The Saskatchewan Advocate for Children and Youth is a member of this national organization.
“Aboriginal children in care often live in poverty and have poorer health status, lag in educational outcomes, and are too often the victims of sexual exploitation and violence,” said Irwin Elman, President of the CCCYA. “We see the devastation of intergenerational trauma in Canada’s Aboriginal peoples on a daily basis, and this is a national tragedy.”
Bob Pringle, Saskatchewan’s Advocate for Children and Youth, sees this issue as particularly critical for Saskatchewan, as most of the children in care are of Aboriginal ancestry. “Although there is still much work to do, the provincial government has made considerable strides to address issues in the child welfare system in Saskatchewan,” he said. “We need the federal government to take a greater role than it has to date in order to reduce the number of Aboriginal children in care.”
This year marks the 25th Anniversary of the ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). Canada became a signatory to the UNCRC in May 1990 and ratified the document in 1991. The Convention enshrines a broad range of rights to health, safety, well-being and education for children. Aboriginal children and youth are one of the most vulnerable populations of children in Canada with significant gaps in outcomes between this population of children and other Canadian children and youth.
A particular area of concern is the vast overrepresentation of Aboriginal children and youth in the child welfare system. Concerted and dedicated action and special effort is required to consider and address the rights and well-being of this group of children and youth. This has been a long-standing focus of the Council’s attention.
In the absence of a national child and youth advocate, the CCCYA sees an opportunity for the Government of Canada and the Council of the Federation to use the 25th Anniversary of the UNCRC as a starting point to develop a comprehensive strategy that will lead to fewer Aboriginal children and youth in government care.
In August 2014, the CCCYA sent a letter to the chair of the Council of the Federation urging the premiers to reflect on the tragedy demonstrated in the disproportionate number of Aboriginal children in care and to help develop specific national solutions to this problem. The CCCYA is awaiting a response to this letter.
The CCCYA proposed four recommendations:
- A national initiative to measure and report on child welfare, education and health outcomes for Aboriginal children and youth. This will require creation and coordination of data, and clear assignment of roles and accountabilities
- Creation of a national Aboriginal children and youth participation initiative, with training on child and youth rights, leadership, voice, and civic participation, to fully implement the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and reduce vulnerability
- That a special conference of Federal/Provincial/Territorial First Ministers, with Aboriginal leaders, and child and youth delegates, be convened to receive a report on outcomes for Aboriginal children and youth. A national plan to improve outcomes for Aboriginal children and youth would be a desired outcome of this process
- Creation of a statutory officer independent from the Parliament of Canada, but accountable to the Parliament, a National Children’s Commissioner with particular emphasis on Aboriginal children and youth and the national dimension of the work on programs, evaluation and outcomes.
The CCCYA is an alliance of the eleven children's advocates from across Canada who have mandates to support the rights of children and youth and to promote youth voice.