Weak oversight of N.S. youth homes increases risk of improper child care: auditor
Kim Adair says some children's needs not being met because care plans outdated, missing
Nova Scotia's auditor general says vulnerable children are at risk of receiving inadequate care because of weak oversight within the province's temporary care and youth home network.
Kim Adair told a news conference Tuesday the most concerning finding from her new report is the lack of regular contact between children and social workers, which she said impacts the workers' ability to produce proper care plans.
"In almost half of our samples, social workers did not meet the contact standards for meeting with children in child and youth care homes or in the temporary emergency arrangements," the auditor general told reporters.
"In one instance, a child was not contacted for over three months."
Adair's report also says some children's needs are not being met because their care plans are outdated or missing.
As well, it criticized the agreements between the Department of Community Services and care providers, saying they lack mechanisms to hold people accountable.
Minister of community services responds
In a statement Tuesday, Minister of Community Services Brendan Maguire said he's accepted all 20 of the auditor general's recommendations. Ensuring the safety of children in the province's care is top of mind, he added.
"To all families and young people in care, your well-being is my utmost concern," he said. "Being a former child in care myself, I empathize with your experiences and pledge to tirelessly advocate for you."
Between 2021 and 2023, there were 271 Nova Scotia children placed in child and youth care homes and 227 children in temporary emergency arrangements.
Adair said there's a growing reliance on temporary emergency arrangements instead of child and youth care homes, and in some cases children are staying in temporary arrangements for much longer than the recommended four days. Some children, she said, are staying for more than eight months.
Temporary housing arrangements, Adair explained, are run by a service provider, with staff on the premises to provide 24-hour care.
Unlike child and youth care homes, these types of housing are not licensed or inspected by the Department of Community Services.
