13 December 2016

FREDERICTON (GNB) – The Office of the Child and Youth Advocate released its eighth annual State of the Child Report today at a breakfast for government members and senior civil servants in Fredericton.

The release of the report coincides with the 25th anniversary of Canada’s ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The report encourages all stakeholders to strive harder to promote and protect the rights of children and youth. The report contains an overview of various issues facing children and youth, as well as a thematic focus on mental health.

14 November 2016

FREDERICTON (GNB) – Children, young people, schools, community organizations, families and the government are invited to promote and protect the rights of children during Child Rights Education Week, which starts today and lasts until Nov. 20, the anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

This year’s theme is The Right to be Heard. The Office of the Child and Youth Advocate, in co-operation with various youth organizations including Right to Play, UNICEF Canada and other advocates, created a national website dedicated to the week. The site offers educational resources for teachers, educators, parents and children for celebrating the rights of the child.

27 January 2016

FREDERICTON (GNB) – The Office of the Child and Youth Advocate applauds the decision of the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ordering the federal government to offer First Nations children the same level of child and family services as that provided to other Canadian children.

The complaint filed in 2007 by the Assembly of First Nations and the First Nations and Family Caring Society of Canada spoke of the underfunding of child welfare services for First Nations communities. According to the complaint, this led to more widespread placement of aboriginal children living on reserves, who were taken from their families, rather than seeking alternative solutions.

17 November 2015

FREDERICTON (GNB) – The Strategy for the Prevention of Harm for Children and Youth in New Brunswick was officially launched this morning at the annual State of the Child Breakfast hosted by the Office of the Child and Youth Advocate.

The launch is part of Child Rights Education Week, organized by the Child and Youth Advocate to encourage various stakeholders to promote and protect child rights.

“One of our government’s key priorities is helping families,” said Social Development Minister Cathy Rogers. “We want to be a partner in protecting our province’s most vulnerable, especially children and young people.”

13 November 2015

FREDERICTON (GNB) – Children, young people, schools, community organizations, families, and the government are invited to promote and protect the rights of children in New Brunswick on the occasion of the Child Rights Education Week, which will be held from Nov. 16 to 22.

This year’s slogan is All different, all equal. A schedule of events for all the activities being held in the province is available on the website of the Child and Youth Advocate. Many organizations have events on the calendar.

8 July 2015

MONCTON (GNB) – Child and Youth Advocate Norman Bossé today released a report entitled More Care Less Court: Keeping Youth out of the Criminal Justice System.

Bossé is calling on policy developers, police, corrections workers, lawyers, prosecutors, school officials, social workers and health professionals to work collaboratively with communities to fulfill New Brunswick’s obligations under the Youth Criminal Justice Act and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The report contains 10 formal recommendations meant to address problems including the lack of: early intervention; specialization in the unique needs and developmental circumstances of youth; comprehensive training for all stakeholders; consistency of practice across the province; full legal representation; and emulation of best practices in youth criminal justice.

23 January 2015

FREDERICTON (GNB) – A newly-formed youth mental health initiative called ACCESS NB was officially launched today at Government House. The launch was co-ordinated by the Office of the Child and Youth Advocate and Dr. Ashok Malla, of the Douglas Institute for Youth Mental Health at McGill University, the principal applicant for the national project.

ACCESS NB is being funded as part of a Canada-wide project, ACCESS, that won a national competition created by the Graham Boeckh Foundation and the Canadian Institute for Health Research. The $25 million grant was awarded to the group presenting the best ideas and capacity for transforming youth mental health services across the country over a span of five years.