Goldie Ghamari - Question Period - Children's Mental Health Services in Northern Ontario

00:00:00.000 Next question. The member for Carleton.

00:00:05.800 Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services.

00:00:17.360 According to an Institute for Clinical and Evaluative Sciences report, suicide rates in

00:00:22.880 northern Ontario were six times higher than the provincial average, whereas southern Ontario was

00:00:29.280 comparable to the provincial average. Furthermore, suicide rates in Canada are five to seven times

00:00:36.480 higher for First Nations youth than for non-Indigenous youth. Today, the Chief Coroner

00:00:42.800 of Ontario's expert panel report on residential housing deaths was released. The safety and

00:00:49.520 security of children is of the utmost importance to us all. Could the Minister tell this House

00:00:55.920 what steps are being taken to ensure incidents like this are never repeated.

00:01:00.320 Mr. Children, Community and Social Services.

00:01:03.200 Ms. Thank you very much, Speaker. I want to thank the member from Carleton for her

00:01:06.480 advocacy on suicide prevention and for her compassion here today.

00:01:11.680 I'd like to thank the Office of the Chief Coroner of Ontario and the expert panel for

00:01:15.840 putting out this report and the recommendations. The experience of the children outlined in this

00:01:20.640 report are heartbreaking. The death of a child, particularly in care, is unacceptable. My heart

00:01:32.160 goes out to the families, the loved ones, and communities affected by these tragedies. The

00:01:36.720 deaths are unacceptable, and I'm going to take immediate action. We need to do more to make sure

00:01:42.000 children are safe and cared for. If a child dies, someone is responsible. We must improve

00:01:49.840 coordination among service providers as well as throughout our ministries. I'm currently engaging

00:01:55.360 with the Ontario Child Advocate, the coroner, Indigenous community leaders, as well as the

00:01:59.680 LGBTQ leaders. From the CASs to group homes to my ministry, we all bear some responsibility,

00:02:07.920 and I want to ensure the House, that as the new minister, the buck stops with me, and I will take action.

00:02:12.480 I understand that mental health services available to children in care are often limited

00:02:27.140 or ineffective.

00:02:30.680 Can the minister please clarify what steps are being taken to give our most vulnerable

00:02:35.580 more support when they need it the most?

00:02:38.860 The experiences of the young people described in this report were very difficult for me

00:02:44.960 to read, and it was a very difficult briefing from the coroner last week.

00:02:49.080 Our government will take action to bring systemic changes to the residential services system.

00:02:54.900 Together with partners from the child welfare sector, Indigenous communities, LGBTQ2S partners

00:03:00.960 and the ministers of health, education and Indigenous affairs, we will take a collective

00:03:05.980 approach to help residential placements and coordination between government agencies.

00:03:10.600 So let me be perfectly clear, I am going to take immediate action to put in place better

00:03:14.920 screening protocols for youth who are at risk and who need help.

00:03:18.900 I'll issue a directive to the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services, CASs

00:03:23.220 and group homes to put the child first.

00:03:26.360 It's not about checklists, it's about taking responsibilities for a child's well-being.

00:03:31.600 We're going to continue to improve inspections to lay out clear lines of responsibility and

00:03:35.660 ensure supports are in place and, finally, will support youth and their workers to access

00:03:40.460 mental health services and resources when and where they are needed.

00:03:44.540 But let me be perfectly clear, this government for the people will put children in care first.

Goldie Ghamari - October 03, 2018