Indigenous

Saskatchewan acting on recommendations made after boy, 10, kills six-year-old

The Saskatchewan government and a child welfare agency are reporting progress on 18 recommendations made after a 10-year-old boy killed a six-year-old boy.

Ministry also says it's now doing program reviews on First Nations child welfare agencies on a yearly basis

Lee Bonneau was six when he died of blunt force trauma. The suspect in his slaying was too young to be charged. The case has been called a 'double tragedy' by Saskatchewan's children's advocate.

The Saskatchewan government and a child welfare agency are reporting progress on 18 recommendations made after a 10-year-old boy killed a six-year-old boy.

Social Services and the Yorkton Tribal Council Child and Family Services have provided their first quarterly update to recommendations made by children's advocate Bob Pringle in May.

Pringle found there were significant gaps in aid provided to the 10-year-old by the tribal council, the local child welfare agency on his case.

Social Services says, among other things, it has held a joint training session with First Nations child and family services on safety plans.

The ministry also says it's now doing program reviews on First Nations child welfare agencies on a yearly basis, rather than the old practice of every three years.

Pringle noted that the 10-year-old boy had behavioural issues and said he probably should not have been in the community unsupervised when the six-year-old was killed in August 2013.