Good afternoon. My name is Jo Ann Schwartz, and I am the principal responsible for this audit. I’m pleased to be here in Yellowknife to discuss the Auditor General’s report on child and family services in the Northwest Territories. The report was tabled in the Legislative Assembly earlier today.
The Department of Health and Social Services is responsible for the overall management of the child and family services system. In parallel, the territory’s 3 health and social services authorities deliver services to children and families.
Overall, we found serious shortcomings in key child and family services. They included slow responses to reports of suspected child abuse or neglect, delays in completing investigations, and gaps in monitoring the safety and well‑being of children receiving protection services.
In 33% of reports of suspected abuse or neglect that we reviewed, the 3 authorities did not assess the reports within the required 24 hours to determine whether children were at risk and in need of protection. Of the cases needing further investigation, 71% were not completed within the required 30 days.
We also found shortcomings in the monitoring of children receiving protective services and in the oversight of foster homes.
For example, child protection workers did not maintain the required monthly contact with children in 91% of the cases we examined. On average, contact occurred only once every 2 months, limiting workers’ ability to assess whether children were safe and well supported.
In addition, criminal record checks for adults and caregivers were either not completed or not kept up to date in 12% of the foster homes we examined.
We also found that authorities did not consistently meet the standards meant to support culturally safe services for Indigenous children. This matters because almost all children receiving protection services in the territory identified as Indigenous.
Our report highlights persistent human and financial resource challenges. Vacancy rates for front-line child protection workers ranged from 14% to 34% across the territory. Caseloads were high, with some workers carrying more than 3 times the department’s goal of 11 active cases per worker. Shortages affect health and social services authorities’ ability to protect children from abuse and neglect.
Issues identified more than a decade ago, in our 2014 and 2018 audits of child and family services, remain unresolved. Staff vacancies and high caseloads continue to strain the system, limiting the Department of Health and Social Services’ and the health and social services authorities’ ability to enable better outcomes for vulnerable children and families.
Given the challenges identified in this report, we urge the Northwest Territories government to take a whole-of-government approach to ensure that child protection workers have the support and resources they require to fulfill their critical responsibilities.
Thank you. I am now ready to answer your questions.