Deaths of 3 Indigenous teen girls lead to calls for trauma training
Gareth Hampshire | CBC News | Posted: November 6, 2017 5:18 PM | Last Updated: November 6, 2017
‘Youth who experience trauma can feel hopeless,' says Alberta child and youth advocate Del Graff
Alberta's child and youth advocate is calling on the provincial government to do more to recognize the symptoms of trauma in the young people it helps following the deaths of three Indigenous teen girls.
All three died over a seven-month period in 2015. All had childhoods in which they were exposed to violence, addictions and neglect.
Del Graff's investigative review into their deaths contains two recommendations which both appeal for the government to better understand the effects of early childhood trauma on the developing brain.
"Youth who experience trauma can feel hopeless; for these three girls this was displayed (in varying degrees) through self harm, addictions, abusive relationships and suicide," Graff said in his review.
The report, titled "Beyond Trauma: Disrupting Cycles, Effecting Change," examines the deaths of 13-year-old Tina, 16-year-old Shirley and 19-year-old Jazmine.
All 3 teens received intervention services
The names used in the report are not the teens' real names.
Tina and Shirley were both receiving child intervention services when they died. Jazmine had received services within two years of her death.
Graff examined their cases in a collective review because of similarities in their experiences.
"It's imperative that we explore the ongoing vulnerability of children who have been exposed to early childhood trauma and work quickly to identify opportunities for child-serving systems to find solutions," wrote Graff.
His report details how the mothers of all three girls abused substances and were unable to care for them, resulting in them having multiple caregivers.
The advocate notes that while they had relatives who cared for them and wanted to help, they needed more comprehensive supports.
"There must be a shift from short-term responses that deal with one incident at a time, to a culture of long-term support," Graff said in his review.
2 died by suicide, 1 hit by car
Tina was an infant when child intervention services first became involved in her life after a report her mother was being abused.
She went to stay with her grandparents because of her mother's problems but things didn't stabilize.
She was with them when they were arrested for selling drugs. She was 10.
She slid into depression after three family members took their own lives.
Her mother then tried to kill herself. A week after her mother attempted suicide, Tina took her own life. She was 13.
Shirley had already had a volatile life by the time her father took his own life when she was 12.
She started using drugs and alcohol and harmed herself.
Close to the anniversary of her father's death she was hit by a car after drinking. She died from her injuries.
Jazmine was two months old when she was first taken into care against the backdrop of her mother drinking and being involved with violent partners.
She gave birth to a son at the age of 14 while living with her boyfriend and his parents.
She too began to have trouble with addictions between the ages of 16 and 19.
She tried to get help but was denied a request of secure treatment even though she admitted her "addictions were out of control and she did not want to live," Graff said.
She died by suicide at the age of 19.
Trauma training underway, government says
Recommendations in Graff's review include a cross-ministry training program on the impact of trauma during childhood development so that interventions are more appropriate.
The government said the recommendations are in line with work that is already happening, such as a specific trauma-informed training program the province said has been in development since 2015
"We are currently implementing training to ensure that staff, as well as foster and kinship parents, are better equipped to support children and families dealing with grief and loss," said Children's Services Minister Danielle Larivee in a statement.
"This training helps them recognize the signs that a child is struggling with grief and loss, understand how this has affected the child and teaches them to help the child build resiliency."
In the statement, the government thanks Graff for highlighting the impact of trauma on child development.
"When we support children, youth and families who have lived through grief and loss, we must ensure those supports address the effects trauma has had."