The Ministry of Children and Family Development is speaking out among calls for quick response teams for at-risk youth in Northern BC.
Children’s rights advocate Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond said many young people are falling through the cracks after it was revealed that children and youth were frequenting a crack house that was busted in Prince George last month.
The Ministry says it’s aware of the young people involved in the incident, but only one of the youth is actually in ministry care.
“The ministry works closely with service providers in the community to offer support for these high-risk youth through temporary living arrangements, life-skills counselling, and child and youth mental-health resources. When it comes to those children and youth who are in ministry care, social workers in Prince George have secured safe and approved placements that meet each young person’s needs. Any time a young person is known to be frequenting a home where drugs are
being used, and that young person is the subject of a protection concern, reports are assessed and appropriate action is taken. This can include working with the family to help the youth, securing a safe family placement, or taking the youth into ministry care.”
But in a previous interview with MyPGNow, Turpel-Lafond says the Ministry often doesn’t act fast enough.
“When they are on a list to be placed, and there is no placement available, unfortunately they can be left with family members who may not be safe, for instance are IV drug users. The other is the young person is effectively, what we think as AWOL; they are couch surfing, they are out living on the margins.”
The Ministry can connect struggling youth with resources like detox, residential treatment, outpatient additions and counselling.
However, going beyond this, the Ministry says it would need new legislation, specialized services, and new programs.
“The potential costs and benefits of such an approach must be carefully considered and broad public consultation would be necessary.”
When police raided the house these youths were frequenting, they seized drugs, a gun, and more than 10,000 needles.
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