Rachel Notley decries cuts as number of kids dying in care rises
Alberta NDP leader Rachel Notley says government cuts puts children in care at risk
It has been the deadliest year in Alberta's history for children in care, according to NDP leader Rachel Notley, following the deaths of two teenagers earlier this month.
According to the government’s website, a 16-year-old girl died while in care on March 18. The next day, a 17-year-old boy in care died as well.
So far, 31 children died while in care or receiving government services since April 1, 2014 – a 25 per cent increase over the same time period last year.
“As of today, the number of children who have died in care this year is the largest we’ve ever had,” Notley said.
Despite the rise in deaths, the province made a $50 million cut to services that support kids in care, such as child intervention services and the family safety program, in the Alberta budget last week.
“If we’ve had this kind of jump in fatalities this year, before these cuts have come into play, I’m deeply concerned about what it means for the safety of these very vulnerable children going forward," Notley said.
She also criticized the government for recent funding cuts to the office of the child advocate, who investigates the deaths of children who are in the province's care or who are supported by the province.
Last month, child and youth advocate Del Graff said vulnerable children will suffer as a result of $275,000 sliced from his office’s budget in face of declining oil revenues.
“The delays in completing child death reviews results in delays in the recommendations that we can make for the system to learn from these reviews,” Graff told CBC News.
“Those delays can be serious.”