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2002 December Report of the Auditor General of Canada

December 2002 Report—Chapter 1

Case Study 1.1—The National Child Benefit: A missed opportunity to report on results

Under the National Child Benefit (NCB) Program, First Nations adjust social assistance benefits and reinvest the funds saved in a wide range of program areas, including child day care, child nutrition, early child development, employment and training opportunities, and cultural teachings.

The NCB program is based on clear objectives intended to help prevent and reduce child poverty, promote an attachment to the workforce, and reduce program overlap and duplication. A framework for evaluation and accountability has been developed, which specifies outcome indicators. In addition to a commitment to evaluate program effectiveness and impacts by 31 March 2003, the NCB is committed to continuing the monitoring process. The data sources for monitoring and evaluation include reports from First Nations.

The National Child Benefit Reinvestment Annual Report, the only report on NCB that Indian and Northern Affairs Canada requires from First Nations, does not reflect the outcome indicators. The regional office is supposed to implement the requirement for a reinvestment plan in each First Nation. This includes criteria that provide information respecting outcomes of the initiative. We did not see such guidance in the communities we visited. As a result, the NCB annual reports we observed provided descriptions, but did not provide meaningful information on results.

Source: INAC and First Nations communities