Community Services paid over $600K to house 17 youth in hotels
Province spent at least $686,000 between July 2012 and September 2014 on hotel rooms and staff
A CBC News investigation has found that 17 young people under the care of Community Services were housed in hotels at some point during a two year period, including one that was nine-years-old and two others who were lodged for six months.
Documents obtained by CBC News also show the province spent at least $686,000 between July 2012 and September 2014 on hotel rooms and staff to take care of the children and youth. Staffing makes up most of the expense.
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Officials point out the number of youth and children that spend time in such circumstances pales in comparison to the 1,200 currently in the care of the province.
But the practice has come under scrutiny in other parts of Canada, including Manitoba. Last week that province's family service's minister ordered all children in care removed from hotels after a 15-year-old girl was attacked in the parking lot of one and sent to hospital in critical condition.
However, the executive director of Family and Children Services in Nova Scotia says children and youth here generally have two caregivers always with them. In Manitoba, where up to 85 young people a day were staying in hotels last year, there was limited supervision.
"It's not the issue of the hotel, it's the issue of the supervision," Vicki Wood says.
In some cases hotels are used in emergency situations where children are taken from their family and time is needed to find foster homes.
Some kids are waiting for placement in treatment and residential programs. Wood says others, such some youth with autism, need to "stabilize" in a quiet place with a predictable routine not available in a group home.
In at least seven cases, according to the records, the young person was waiting for "services for persons with disabilities," and likely have cognitive delays in addition to behaviour and emotional issues.
Eleven of the 17 cases were in western Nova Scotia, two originate in the northern part of the province, and four others in Cape Breton.
There were none in the central region, which includes Halifax. That's likely because Halifax has a large population and more services, says Janet Nearing, Nova Scotia's acting director of child welfare.
"When you get to the rural areas of Nova Scotia, sadly, there just isn't the same level of support available," she says.
One "small" advantage of being in a hotel is at least the child remains near their home community and can still attend the same school.
"You have to weigh that decision," Nearing says. "Would it be worth it for a child to stay for a very short time in a hotel setting until we could secure a foster family right in the area, so that that's less disruptive to the child?"
"Or would you need to make a decision that the child should be placed in a family setting that somewhere outside their home community."
In a few cases, children spent just a night or two in hotel. The bulk of the cases, however, were for more than a week, including two where children spent roughly six months in hotels.
One those lengthy stays was in the western region of the province, but documents don't specify exactly where.
Records says the child was waiting for a services for persons with disabilities placement.
The other case involved a child from the Cumberland County area. They spent from July 29, 2012 to Feb. 18, 2013, at the Super 8 Treaty Trail at Millbrook while waiting for a placement at the Wood Street residential treatment facility in Truro.
All told, the two cases cost the province $470,564.99 in hotel bills and staff.