
P.E.I. child protection report warns of 'shift from prevention'
CBC
A review of the Child Protection Act on P.E.I. is calling for more of a focus on prevention.
A review of the act is required every five years. The 2021 report contains 99 recommendations, including the focus on prevention.
"There has been a shift from prevention that should be incorporated back into child protection practice," the report says.
"This would include expanding the scope of the Act to include prevention by providing education and support service to the family and community prior to a child being found in need of protection."
Specific recommendations to re-focus on prevention include earlier interventions and voluntary services.
Danya O'Malley, executive director of P.E.I. Family Violence Prevention Services, said the report is missing a change she has been seeking for years.
O'Malley's group asked the province to change the law to allow child protection to intervene quickly in custody cases where one parent is withholding access to a child from the other.