50 young Albertans died while receiving child intervention services last year, report says

Alberta's child and youth advocate says she is concerned about the rising number of young people dying while receiving child intervention services.

Between April 1, 2022, and March 31, 2023, there were 88 notifications of serious injuries and deaths reported to the Office of the Child and Youth Advocate (OCYA) — the highest number since the office began conducting investigative reviews in 2012.

Fifty young people died while receiving child intervention services, the most ever recorded,  surpassing last year's total of 49.

"This is profoundly concerning and underscores the importance of ensuring our recommendations are implemented to help meet the needs of vulnerable young people," Terri Pelton said in her office's annual report published on Tuesday. 

The independent office is notified of a death or life-altering injury if the young person had an open child welfare file at the time or was receiving child intervention or youth justice services. 

The office is also notified if the young person had received those services or had an open child welfare file in the two previous years.

According to the annual report, the number of notifications of serious injuries and deaths has been rising for the past three years.

Drug poisonings suspected

About 76 per cent of notifications were for Indigenous youth, who are overrepresented in the child intervention system.

Pelton said the cause of many of the deaths has yet to be confirmed by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, but anecdotally, most of the deaths are suspected to be related to drug poisonings.

Peter Choate, a social work professor at Mount Royal University in Calgary, said multiple factors are likely contributing to the increase in serious injuries and deaths, including the opioid crisis and decreased access to things like housing and food. 

He said more money should be spent on prevention and early-intervention services.

"Children die because we're not properly funding," he said. 

He said scores of reports over the years have shown Indigenous youth in particular have been dying at disproportionate rates and the reports have recommended changes but there has been a lack of sustained funding and effort to address the issue.

Choate said the province should work with First Nations and urban Indigenous communities on direct prevention services, provide social supports aimed at and led by Indigenous populations, increase outreach services on city streets, encourage First Nations to work with governments to take over their Indigenous child welfare services, and increase support services available for Jordan's principle. 

Public Interest Alberta's executive director, Bradley Lafortune, is calling for investments in housing, income supports and early intervention.

"We are demanding that the UCP government commit the requisite resources from Alberta's services to address child poverty, including adequate income supports and other programs and services to ensure we make progress on ending child poverty," he said in a news release.

Outstanding recommendations

Over the years, the OCYA has made more than 100 recommendations to the provincial government after reviewing the deaths of young Albertans.

The annual report says of the 31 recommendations evaluated by the OCYA in the last fiscal year, four were met, two were closed and 25 remain in progress.

"This government continues to not be transparent, not actually take the recommendations from the advocate and put it into action," said NDP Calgary MLA Diana Batten.

Searle Turton, the minister of children and family services, was not available for an interview about the report on Tuesday, but his press secretary, Ashli Barrett, said all OCYA recommendations have been "actioned" in a way that will make a positive difference for young people across Alberta. 

"We update Children and Family Services' progress on implementing recommendations publicly, and continue to update the OCYA on our progress," she said in an emailed statement.

Pelton said her office is seeing more movement from government this year and small steps forward, with more conversations happening about what needs to be done to meet the recommendations.