Audit finds ‘serious shortcomings’ in NWT child protection services

The Northwest Territories continues to “fall short” when it comes to protecting and supporting children in its care, Canada’s Office of the Auditor General has found.

In a report published Thursday, the federal office found many issues identified in audits published in 2014 and 2018, have not been meaningfully addressed.

The recent audit identified shortfalls with the response to allegations of abuse, contact with children and families, and the screening of foster homes.

The auditor general noted that these issues are largely related to staff shortages and demanding workloads that are exacerbated by the time and resources required to travel to remote communities on a regular basis.

“Staff vacancies and high caseloads continue to strain the system, limiting the Department of Health and Social Services and the health and social services authorities’ ability to enable better outcomes for vulnerable children and their families,” said Jo Ann Schwartz, principal with the Office of the Auditor General, at a press conference in Yellowknife.

The report found that a third of reports of allegations of child abuse or neglect were not assessed by a child protection worker within 24 hours as required.

When a report required further investigation, workers did not complete that work within 30 days as required in 71 percent of the cases examined, the report found, noting that this delayed action needed to keep children safe.

Failure to meet minimum contact requirements

In 91 percent of the cases examined, social services authorities did not maintain monthly contact with children in their care as required. Instead, the audit found that children were contacted every two months on average.

Children placed outside of the territory in a foster home, specialized facility, or treatment centre were contacted every 3.76 months on average.

The report noted that monthly contact with a child to assess the support they are being provided can help a worker make informed plans and decisions about a child’s care.

Deficiencies were also found in the screening of foster homes. In 12 percent of cases examined, criminal record checks were either not completed or updated for all caregivers.

That figure has, however, improved since the last time child and family services were audited in 2018, when nearly 64 percent of children were placed into homes that were not properly screened.

Thursday’s report found inconsistencies in the way foster families are reimbursed for things like clothing and recreational activities across social service authorities.

Annual reimbursements for recreational activities, for example, ranged from $400 to $1,300 between regions and authorities.

“Inconsistency in financial reimbursement for foster parents was also identified in our 2014 and 2018 audits. Without established standards in place, there is a potential for real or perceived unfairness and favouritism,” the report said.

Cultural safety

The auditor general’s report noted that while nearly all of the children receiving protection services in the NWT are Indigenous, only 58 percent of the territory’s total child population is Indigenous, meaning Indigenous children are overrepresented in the system.

The report found the Department of Health and Social Services had made commitments toward the promotion of cultural safety, and has been making progress on promises to work collaboratively with Indigenous governments, and provide care rooted in Indigenous practices.

However, it noted the department was delayed in areas such as providing cultural safety training to foster parents and having greater representation of Indigenous staff.

The report found that while Indigenous employment targets were met by two of the three social service authorities, Indigenous employees make up only 19 percent of front-line staff.

“Culturally safe approaches help ensure services are respectful and responsive to Indigenous children and families,” the report said.

“Without such approaches, barriers to trust and engagement may arise, and services may be less effective in assessing and responding to the needs of Indigenous children and families.”

The report also found that in 65 percent of cases examined, requirements around the creation of cultural support plans were not met.

Similarly, the requirement for the creation of a genogram, which maps out a family’s structure for at least three generations, was not met in 84 percent of cases.

The report noted that while efforts are made to maintain connections to family, community and culture, those efforts are not consistently documented due to demanding workloads and other pressures.

The auditors also found that while the recommendation had previously been made in the 2014 and 2018 reviews, the Department of Health and Social Services has not yet assessed the financial and human resources required to deliver child and family services.

Schwartz said that while the Office of the Auditor General doesn’t like to compare the territories to one another, similar issues related to limited human resources and demanding caseloads were found in audits in the Yukon and in Nunavut.

Whole-of-government approach needed

The Office of the Auditor General recommended the NWT Department of Health and Social Services track compliance with its own requirements, establish standards for financial compensation for foster families and caregivers, and regularly assess the funding and human resources it needs to deliver child protection services.

“This time, we’re really speaking out to say that we think a whole-of-government approach is required to make sure that the challenges that we’ve seen over many audits are improved upon for the children, because, at the end of the day, this audit is focusing on some of the most vulnerable people in society, which is the children that need protection,” said Schwartz.

“We would urge the Legislative Assembly to keep an eye on that progress, to monitor it, to see how progress is proceeding.”

She said the the Office of the Auditor General will decide at a later date if another audit may be required to monitor progress on its recommendations.

The territorial government has accepted the report’s recommendations.

Responding to the report, health and social services minister Lesa Semmler told reporters that work to improve child and family services is already underway.

“The auditor general’s recommendations will be considered alongside existing work, and through the standing committee’s review process. This will help guide the next steps in a clear and accountable way,” said Semmler.

“At the centre of this work is one of our most important responsibilities as government, supporting the safety and well-being, and cultural connection of children and youth, and building public confidence in the system that does that work.”