Laying It Out: Children dying while in government care goes well beyond who is in charge

By Scott Schmidt on November 27, 2021.

A story this week highlighted data released by the Ministry of Children’s Services showing 34 deaths since April 1 among children, youth or young adults receiving government service intervention.

That total equals the record set in the fiscal year of 2020/21, and with four months before April 1, there’s little doubt a new high will be reached.

Much deserved criticism has been doled out to the United Conservatives in recent days because the government pressed forward on a promise to lower maximum age of eligibility for the Support and Financial Assistance Agreement, from 24 to 22. Two young Indigenous single mothers took Alberta to court over the change, suggesting the move will inevitably lead to deaths among youth being transitioned out of the program.

The word ‘transitioned’ is important because the government, namely Children Services Minister Rebecca Schulz, has repeatedly claimed sufficient adult benefits are available to those coming off SFAA.

Of course, if youths moving to adult services were going to receive equal support there would be no reason to make the move. And we know the UCP isn’t doing this to increase resources directed their way, so one could understand moms fretting over consequences.

The province prevailed in court in January and an appeal was rejected in June, leading to an Alberta full of fingers pointed at the continued cruelty of the UCP. And now, with the report this week, we have evidence clearly showing the move was deadly.

Except, is it really this open and shut? Is this nothing more than the UCP failing Albertans again? Do we just conclude this government hates kids and move on?

Not so fast, perhaps.

It’s absolutely true cutting SFAA back two years is a stupid idea, which saves no substantial money while unquestionably putting hundreds of Alberta youth (mostly Indigenous) at further risk. But if I worked communications for Children’s Services, I might remind Albertans a whole lot of kids died on the NDP’s watch between 2015 and 2019. And if I were the former government now in Opposition, I might choose words carefully when discussing this story.

Sure, Albertans love to hate the UCP right now and will no doubt jump on Twitter threads to say what NDP MLAs want to hear, but if they haven’t been asked the question yet, allow me to be the first to pose it.

Would you care to comment on the 114 children, youth or young adults who died while receiving government supports during the four years the NDP was in government? You oversaw 33 deaths in 2017/2018 and another 33 in 2018/2019 — records at the time. Did those kids die because of the UCP as well, or is it possible we’re dealing with a systemic failure beyond simply, “Kenney bad”?

It’s way too easy to chalk up this year’s death rate to lowering ages for SFAA — of the four recorded deaths this month, two were literally babies. Spiking deaths under the UCP among youths over 18 lends weight to the argument, but during the last two years of the NDP, 30 children under five died, compared to 23 during two years under the UCP.

Deaths among teenagers were also higher under the NDP’s second half (20) than under the UCP’s first (15). If the Official Opposition’s only play here is to blame Jason Kenney and Rebecca Schulz, then it’s nothing more than a political ploy that won’t in any way help the children who desperately need it.

Instead of selfish political jockeying over what turned out to be 15 seconds of research to prove you both suck, maybe spend some time talking about why kids in government care die at more than double the rate of kids still in their homes.

Since 2012, 73 kids have died while not only receiving government support but while actually in some type of government care. During the same period that number dropped to 33 among kids left in their home, with their parent(s).

Just how badly do we want to be known for taking kids from homes ‘for their own good’ only to see them die? Because, in case you’ve been away for a few years, Canada’s track record for this is disgusting.

While we’re at it, why don’t you also explain why, among all deaths recorded, by far the deadliest category is those considered to be in their “initial assessment,” which is literally the time period when the government assesses the need for support? Because since 2012, 109 of those families needed support before their government finished deciding if they were worthy of it.

And yes, you should also take a look at kids over 18 in the SFAA program, because in five years between 2012 and 2017, 12 of them died, but in less than five years since (and before the UCP’s SFAA decision) that number has ballooned to 53. Maybe one of our political leaders would like to explain to the two Indigenous moms why they went to court to lose a fight for a program increasingly more likely to fail them anyway.

A shade over 60% of all these deaths over the past decade have been Indigenous kids receiving ‘support’, yet we force their mothers into courtrooms to protect it. Par for a two-century-old course, I guess.

And since these are just the kids we ‘try’ to help, these numbers should, and hopefully do, make people sick — but imagine the death among those who don’t even receive a supportive glance.

So, while I support the push to see SFAA eligibility where it has always been, we owe (and the NDP certainly owe) these kids so much more than finger-pointing tweets at the current government.

Perhaps start with, “Sorry we didn’t fix it when the current government was us.”

Scott Schmidt is the layout editor for the Medicine Hat News. He can be reached at sschmidt@medicinehatnews.com, or follow him on Twitter at @shmitzysays

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