New report by Children's Advocate validates long-standing concerns raised over the years by front-line workers.
Saskatoon (27 Feb. 2009) - The Saskatchewan Government and General Employees' Union (SGEU/NUPGE) wants the provincial government to take immediate action to protect children in the foster care system in the Saskatoon region.
"The Children's Advocate report on the overcrowding crisis in the foster care system in the Saskatoon Region reiterates many of the concerns SGEU has raised over the years on behalf of front-line workers," says SGEU president Bob Bymoen. The report was tabled this week in the provincial legislature.
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"Our members have voiced concerns about the need for more resources, more foster homes and more staff to handle the increasingly complex problems facing children at risk," Bymoen says.
Staff members struggle on a daily basis to find safe placements for children taken into the care of the ministry of social services, but they are continually hampered by a lack of foster homes or safe alternative options, the union notes.
There has been a dramatic increase in the number of children coming into the care of the ministry as well as in the seriousness of the problems they face, yet there has not been a corresponding increase in the number of staff, it adds.
"The outcome of that situation is sadly predictable," says Bymoen.
"As the Advocate's report demonstrates, children are put at risk. We believe a pro-active, multi-faceted approach is needed to address the problems in the foster care system. We clearly need an aggressive foster home recruitment campaign and legislated limits on the number of children in each home. We also need to give child protection staff the time and resources to do their jobs," he argues.
"It is essential to increase the number of child protection workers to deal with the increasing number of children in care and re-establish programs designed to support at-risk families to prevent child apprehension in the first place." NUPGE
More information:
- A Breach of Trust: An investigation into foster home overcrowding in the Saskatoon Service Centre - PDF
- Media Release by Children's Advocate on A Breach of Trust - PDF
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