Nunavut fails to protect children in care, auditor general finds

Nunavut's government is failing to protect children in its care, according to a new report from the federal auditor general. The report, released Tuesday, details how the territory does not properly monitor children in foster care, screen and oversee foster homes, or provide caregivers with essential health and background information. Many of these problems were first identified in audits dating back to 2011. The government of Nunavut has accepted all of the auditor general's latest recommendations.

Jane Bates, Nunavut's official representative for children and youth, said she is not surprised by the findings. "This is not acceptable," Bates said. "We have to build a system." She said her office and the auditor general's office are the only bodies holding the territory accountable, and she is calling for more oversight of the Family Services department. Bates described consequences including parents who do not know where their children are and foster parents who lack critical information about a child's health and experiences.

"We have spoken to foster parents who are traumatized, absolutely traumatized, by the treatment that they received from the department," Bates said. She also noted children are sometimes removed from homes without notice. Manitok Thompson, a retired teacher and former Nunavut education minister, agreed more monitoring is needed. "The children need a government with a clear plan and measurable action to protect their future," Thompson said.

The auditor general's recommendations include documenting care plans when a child is placed in foster care, providing better training for foster caregivers, and identifying when a child has special needs. The report states the territory is failing to keep proper tabs on children in care. It follows 15 years of repeated failures by the territory's Family Service department. Nunavut's Minister of Family Services, Gwen Healey Akearok, said her department is already making improvements. She said they are implementing new standards for regular contact checks with children in care and surveying foster caregivers to understand their needs. "We're moving through this process of transforming the system we had, into one that our children and youth need and want and deserve," Healey Akearok said. Advocates say someone has to be accountable for ensuring every child in care is safe. The consequences, Bates said, are parents who do not know where their children are, foster parents who do not know essential background information about children's health and experiences, and removal of children from homes without notice.

With files from CBC News