June 17, 1996
(House of Assembly)

The following is being distributed at the request of the Select Committee on Children's Interests:

Select Committe on Children's Interests - Committe tables final report

"Over the past 18 months this committee and its predecessor have spoken with the people of this province about their concerns for our children and youth. Today the committee has tabled a comprehensive report that details not only what needs to be done, but how to do it." says committee chairperson, Gerald Smith.

The report, LISTENing & ACTing: A Plan for Child, Youth and Community Empowerment, recommends the creation of a Child, Youth and Family Secretariat within government and a Child & Youth Advocate reporting to the legislature. These two new government agencies will carry out the task of reforming and renewing this province's approach to children, youth, their families and communities. The secretariat and the advocate would provide the leadership within government and society to implement the majority of the 64 specific recommendations of the report.

"It is important to point out that the recommendations are not free-standing recommendations. The committee has quite deliberately placed them within the context of the secretariat and the advocate. The recommendations are the changes we seek, but the secretariat and the advocate, together, are the vehicles that will oversee and implement the changes," says Harvey Hodder.

LISTENing & ACTing sets down specific goals and objectives for government to follow in order to address child, youth and family issues within the context of the community in which they live. We have set these goals within a framework for implementation and we have given time guidelines for implementation. It is a comprehensive response to the mandate granted to us by the House of Assembly," Smith says.

The committee travelled to 13 communities across Newfoundland and Labrador hearing from over 600 people. Two hundred and fifteen written submissions were accepted. The committee also held a series of in camera sessions with foster children and with front-line civil servants to hear their views and concerns.

The Select Committee on Children's Interests was appointed by the 42nd General Assembly on December 16, 1994 with Patt Cowan, then MHA for Conception Bay South, as the chairperson. This committee was dissolved with the call of the provincial election in January, but a new committee was struck by the House of Assembly on March 26, 1996. The members of this committee are Gerald Smith, (chairperson), Harvey Hodder (vice- chairperson) and Mary Hodder (member).

NOTE: This report is available on the government's World Wide
Web site (www.gov.nl.ca)

A Proposal for a Child, Youth & Family Secretariat
and a Children & Youth Advocate.

BACKGROUNDER

• The current system of children-related services is extensive, but often fragmented and uncoordinated. The system currently forces children and their families to fit into it, rather than the system responding to the total needs of an individual child and his or her family.

  Government is presently implementing the recommendations of The Classroom Issues Report. This is a small, but a significant step along the road to providing integrated services to children and their families.

  Research clearly shows that proactive, community-based services offer the best chance of responding to the cause of social problems rather than just the symptoms of it. The Select Committee on Children's Interests is recommending to the House of Assembly a two-pronged approach for redressing the crisis-oriented structure through which many of the services to children, youth and their families are currently delivered.

PROPOSAL

• An examination of efforts in other jurisdictions to address the
  above-mentioned issues clearly indicated that two complementary
  government structures will be required to effect change. The first
  is A Child, Youth and Family Secretariat within the government and
  the second is A Child and Youth Advocate reporting to the
  legislature.

1. CHILD, YOUTH AND FAMILY SECRETARIAT

• The secretariat would report to Cabinet through the Social Policy
  Committee of Cabinet. The secretariat would have three mechanisms
  to advise and assist it:

  1) a Voluntary Community Advisory Committee;
  2) a four-member advisory committee made up of the deputy
  ministers of Justice, Social Services, Health and Education;
  3) focus groups with youth and community leaders.
  

Objective

• The main objective is to coordinate and integrate the services
  offered by government that affect children, youth and their
  families. The secretariat would be responsible for improving the
  integration of services between the departments of Justice, Social
  Services, Health and Education. The secretariat could also require
  Child Impact Statements from any government department on existing
  and/or new legislation and policies.

  The secretariat would serve as the expert within government for the
  cost analysis of social programs.

Mandate

• 1) recommend to Cabinet changes that will see a results-oriented
  bureaucracy;

  2) recommend to Cabinet changes that will see an emphasis on
  prevention-oriented programs;

  3) provide government with cost-effectiveness analysis in the
  area of social policy;

  4) recommend departmental and program changes to Cabinet;

  5) oversee all departmental and program changes approved by
  Cabinet;

  6) facilitate the spending of federal and provincial social
  policy dollars to ensure maximum benefit:

  7) institute mechanisms within social programs and government,
  generally, that will facilitate age appropriate input from
  children intodecisions that affects them.

Personnel

• An assistant deputy minister drawn from existing personnel would
  head the secretariat. He or she would then, in turn, second
  personnel from any department and/or agency of government subject
  to the agreement of the Social Policy Committee. Staff complement
  would be between 15 and 20 people at any one time. No government
  department would have the right to refuse a secondment to the
  secretariat.

Funding

• With the use of both part-time and full-time secondments from with
  government and government-funded agencies (i.e. school boards) there
  financial implications for government should be very small.
  

Legislative framework

• While the secretariat does not require legislative authority to
  carry out its mandate, the committee recommends that it should be
  created by legislation. The legislation would limit it to between a
  five and six year lifespan.

  The committee recommends that the secretariat have the power,
  independent of any other department or agency within government,
  save the Cabinet, to effect changes in policies, programs,
  legislation and government structures/departments.

2. CHILD AND YOUTH ADVOCATE

• The advocate, like the auditor general, would be an officer of the
  legislature with a fixed term of office. The advocate would be
  responsible for both case and systems advocacy and like the
  secretariat could require "Child Impact Statements" from any
  government department/agency.

  Like the secretariat, the advocate's office would have a small
  Community Advisory Committee as well as the mandate to carry out
  focus groups on an on-going basis.

Objective

• The Advocate's Office would provide an avenue for the voices of
  children, youth and their natural advocates to be heard within the
  structure of government. It would work to educate the general
  public concerning the rights of the child and to build partnerships
  with natural advocates in the community.

  The office would be responsible, along with the secretariat, for
  promoting service integration, proactive policies and community-
  based services. In addition, it could be responsible for ongoing
  social research, both primary and secondary.

  The office could provide valuable assistance to government,
  indirectly, by helping to explain the long-term benefits of efforts
  to integrate services and empower communities.

Mandate

• 1) an independent office
  2) a government-wide mandate
  3) a "systems advocate"
  4) an office for research and analysis
  5) a provincial clearing house for information and ideas
  6) a "pendulum" monitor

Personnel

• The advocate would be appointed by the House of Assembly for a five
  year term and would be eligible for one further term. The Office of the
  Advocate would consist of a small permanent staff of five people. The
  office could also hire additional research staff on an ad-hoc basis.

Funding

• This office would require new monies. Based upon an examination of
  the six other provinces that have advocacy offices, the
  committee estimates the office approximately $400,000 per annum.

Legislative Framework

• The Office of a Children's Advocate would be created through a new
  Act of the House of Assembly. The act would give the office both
  an independent stance and a vision for the future.

Contact: Richard Abraham, (709) 729-2683