For the past 2 years, the cost of kids in care has jumped by millions. Why?

For two years in a row, the provincial government has been surprised by the needs of some of its most vulnerable citizens.

When the cost of kids in care went up $10.8 million from nearly $60 million budgeted for 2017, Minister of Children, Seniors and Social Development Lisa Dempster said it was for one reason.

"The increased cost is directly attributable to the growth in the number of Level 4 placements as a result of an increase in the number of children with complex needs requiring care," she told a legislative committee meeting in April 2018.  

"It is the more costly placement option," Dempster explained.

"I guess, when we look at society in general and we look at things like an increase in mental health, addictions, lots of complex things, we're seeing larger sibling groups that we can't place into foster care," she continued.

Level 4 is the most critical in the department's qualification system to match the province's children and youth with the type of care they need, when they cannot stay at home.

It's for kids who "cannot be supported in a family-based environment," but require staffed group homes — mostly run by two private companies — that may be outside their home communities.

Another form of Level 4 care is "individual living arrangements," for those who will fare best alone, with employees rotating through.

These are young people with complex mental health, social, emotional, developmental, behavioural or medical needs who require a special kind of support.

And there are more of them in a province with an aging population. As of Sept. 30, 2018, there were 155 Level 4s, out of roughly 1,000 kids in care.

Another year, another spike in crises

The province did not expect that spike in the amount spent in 2017 to happen again. 

But it did. 

In fact, it jumped by even more money.

The 2019 budget estimates released earlier this month indicate the department spent more than $15 million above what it had budgeted for the 2018 fiscal year, totaling over $73 million — almost $5 million higher than the year before.

This coming year, it plans to spend nearly $63 million, or roughly half of its total child and youth services budget.

In an email, the department said last year's spike is "related to significant growth in costs of children and youth in care during the last four years," and that it's working to reverse the Level 4 "trend increase."

New legislation coming into effect in June is part of that.

A 'trend' indeed

At Choices for Youth in downtown St. John's, executive director Sheldon Pollett says it's time for more planning to tackle the trend.

They're seeing a recent spike in 16-year-olds showing up at their emergency shelter, and an ever-growing number of young people with complex needs — more than 1,500 this year alone, from all over the province — going to them for help.

"Between 60 and 70 per cent of the young people that we work with have had some form of contact or experience with the child welfare system," said Pollett, adding they often age out of that system into income support and the criminal justice system. 

It is not shocking to see what transpires early on in an individual's life and how it can continue to play out for many years.- Sheldon Pollett

"If you looked at this trend around mental health, addictions, family breakdown, vulnerability, the connection to poverty, connection to the dropout rate in schools," it's obvious things need to change. 

Pollett said prevention is key early on, to keep those kids from ever reaching crisis point — which comes with long-term social and financial costs. He's optimistic the new legislation will help. 

"We know if you're a vulnerable, at-risk homeless young person you are at higher risk for just about every awful statistic that we can think," said Pollett.

"It is not shocking to see what transpires early on in an individual's life and how it can continue to play out for many years."

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