Report concludes that an overhaul of the advocacy office is the only way to protect rights and maintain accountability in children’s services
TORONTO, June 18, 2003—Ontario is trailing behind most provinces in providing safeguards that protect the rights of children in care, according to a report released by an international children’s rights group today.
In a news conference at Queen’s Park today, Defence for Children International-Canada (DCI-Canada) released the report, “It’s time to break the silence, Creating meaningful access to rights and advocacy services for young people in care in Ontario.” It presents the results of a study of Ontario’s Office of Child and Family Service Advocacy (Advocacy Office), the government office mandated to protect the rights of children and youth in state care in Ontario.
The report compared Ontario’s Advocacy Office to similar agencies in seven other provinces. The comparison revealed that Ontario’s Advocacy Office:
- Has a dangerously low number of staff; the worst ratio of staff to population among offices surveyed.
- Lacks the authority and tools to communicate with the public and children and youth across the province.
- Is not provided with investigative and other powers that are common in other provinces.
The report concludes that a massive overhaul of the office is needed to protect children’s rights, and to maintain a degree of accountability within Ontario’s children’s services.
Key recommendations include:
- IMMEDIATE ACTION to provide the current Advocacy Office with a sufficient number of staff and to produce promotional materials to inform children in care about their rights.
- NEW LEGISLATION to establish an Office of the Child and Youth Advocate, an officer of the legislature that would be independent from any ministry. The Advocate must have powers to conduct investigations and make reports to the public.
- A CHILD ADVOCACY RENEWAL TASK FORCE comprised of young people who have been in care, representatives from non-government organizations, and representatives of service providers to advise the government during the creation of a new Office of the Child and Youth Advocate.
“This report is about making sure that the legal rights created to protect Ontario’s most vulnerable children are more than just words on paper,” stated Les Horne, executive director of DCI-Canada. “The right of the child to be heard will help nobody until the child knows it is available. The right of the child to be heard is useless unless there is somebody to listen.”
“A government that embraces this plan demonstrates that it is not afraid of accountability for family and children’s services, and that it has the compassion to listen to vulnerable children and protect their rights while they’re under the state’s care,” said Matthew Geigen-Miller, author of the report. Geigen-Miller believes that his proposals for child advocacy renewal are important for any government that wants to take a more effective and responsible approach to services for families, children and youth in Ontario.
Contact:
DCI-Canada
Phone: 416-907-7432
E-mail: contact @ dci-canada.org
