Children's Services implementing 6 new actions after record number of child, youth deaths

Six new policy changes aimed at improving the safety for vulnerable children and youth in Alberta were unveiled by Children's Services Thursday. 

The changes come as the province recorded the highest number of deaths of children or youths who were in care or recently received services in at least a decade.

Forty-five deaths were reported between April 1, 2021 and Feb. 28, 2022, compared to the average of around 33 in the previous four fiscal years.

After seeing the tragic trend in deaths last fall, Children's Services Minister Rebecca Schulz ordered a review.

The ministry unveiled those new actions coming out of three separate reviews undertaken by the ministry using internal data.

A ministry report notes COVID-19 has uniquely impacted children and youth while the opioid crisis remains a significant concern.

"We do know that the last two years have been exceptionally difficult for everybody, not just in Alberta, but especially so for those who are most vulnerable," Schulz said in an interview Thursday.

"We also know that there are things that we can do to improve this system and make sure that there are the right supports in place."

The actions are aimed at increasing safety planning, oversight and reporting. They are:

Schulz said many of the internal policies are being implemented immediately with the new case supervision model expected to be up and running by the fall.

Work to implement actions involving service partners like contracted agencies and delegated First Nations agencies will begin right away, she said.

The report notes the past two years have shown an increase in opioid deaths in the 18 to 23 age group.

These deaths were disproportionately higher for young adults receiving services, representing only 0.6 per cent of the overall population demographic but accounting for about 10 per cent of opioid deaths among the age group.

"Each one of these cases is exceptionally complex and there isn't just one thing we could do to fix this system, it's going to require changes to policy," Schulz said, adding that addressing the issue will mean ensuring mental health and addictions supports are in place.