Assistant Auditor General’s Opening Statement—February 2014 Report—Yukon Family and Children’s Services—Department of Health and Social Services—Press Conference

Assistant Auditor General’s Opening Statement

February 2014 Report—Yukon Family and Children’s Services—Department of Health and Social Services—Press Conference—18 February 2014

I am pleased to be in Whitehorse today to discuss our Report, which was tabled by the Speaker of the Assembly this morning.

In this audit, we looked at how the Department of Health and Social Services fulfills its responsibilities for the protection and well-being of at-risk children, youth, and their families. We did this by examining the Department’s compliance with selected requirements of the Child and Family Services Act and related policies and procedures.

We also examined the Department’s collection, analysis, and reporting on information about its family and children’s services.

Although we found that the Department met many requirements of the Act and its policies and procedures, it did not fulfill several of its key responsibilities.

The Department developed case plans for families and plans of care for children, but it did not review and update most of these plans. Without updated plans, the Department does not know whether plans are being implemented as intended or whether plans are addressing children’s and families’ needs. These documents are one of the Department’s main means of ensuring that it is looking after the best interests of the children, a matter of paramount importance.

In addition, the Department did not develop transitional plans for all youth in the Department’s care or custody to help them gradually take responsibility for their own care. This is cause for concern, particularly since studies show that many youth who leave foster care have difficulties as they make the transition to adult life.

The Department developed service standards, and it involved First Nations when providing care to First Nations children and youth. As well, it met most requirements for approving foster homes.

However, it conducted few annual reviews of those homes. Further, it did not ensure that all children in its care or custody had annual medical and dental examinations, which are important to ensuring the well-being and long-term health of these children. 

The prevention and support services offered by the Healthy Families program and the Child Development Centre were used frequently, but the Department did not measure how the programs performed.  As a result, it does not have all the information it needs to make evidence-based decisions that could improve these services.

The Department’s Client Index System is not a case management system, so it cannot assist social workers in managing files by prompting them to carry out required actions at key dates. We found that the data in the system was unreliable, and many of the files in the system were misclassified. Consequently, the Department cannot use the system to compile data of sufficient quality to be used for performance management or for accurate reporting on the services it provides.

This concludes my opening statement. I am happy to answer any questions you may have.