B.C. failing aboriginal children: auditor general

The B.C. government was on the defensive Tuesday following a scathing report on the plight of aboriginal children in the government's care.

Auditor General John Doyle said that while aboriginal children account for barely eight per cent of children in B.C., they comprise 51% of children in government care.

And a decision made by the Liberal government to let First Nations groups take greater responsibility for aboriginal children has been only partly successful and should be re-examined, Doyle said.

During a lively question period in the legislature, the NDP pointed to successive reports indicating child protection plans are not working.

"The report found nearly 21 per cent of families involved with the ministry saw a recurrence of abuse or neglect," New Democrat MLA Maurine Karagianis said.

Children's Minister Tom Christensen shot back that progress has been made over the last few years.

Since 2001, the number of aboriginal children served by special agencies has increased by 300 per cent, and the budget for child and family services has climbed by 30 per cent, he said.

Christensen said there are no easy solutions to a complex situation, especially since responsibility for aboriginal child welfare is shared by the provincial and federal governments and First Nations groups.

"We've added resources, but we know that resources alone are not the solution," Christensen said.

The report pointed out that the effort to transfer greater responsibility to First Nations has been going on for more than 20 years but to date, only eight of 24 designated agencies have qualified to deliver services.

Higher rates of illness, injury and death

Aboriginal children have higher rates of illness, injury and death than others in government care, as well as slower academic progress and higher rates of incarceration, the report says.

The government has not identified needs and resources for aboriginal child protection, nor does it know how much those services will cost, the report adds.

Paul Jenkinson, a spokesperson for the B.C. Association of Social Workers, said there needs to be less talk and more action from the government if the plight of aboriginal children in care is to improve.

The association's 1,400 workers on the front lines wonder about the commitment at the government level, he said.

"When you have a need for change over many, many years and the change doesn't happen, then you get a frustrated, somewhat demoralized group of professionals," Jenkinson said, "a group that knows what could be done but just kind of shakes their heads when things are not done."

The federal government has to start funding aboriginal child welfare programs properly, while the provincial government needs to move on with practical approaches to real problems, Jenkinson said.