Alberta needs multi-sectoral strategy to address low child, youth well-being rankings: Report

A report by the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy is recommending Alberta adopt a more coordinated approach between governments, provincial ministries and community partners to improve the health and well being of children and youth.

The paper, released Tuesday, studied the provincial policy landscape over the past decade.

It revealed that while many moves have been made to improve the health and well-being of children and youth, Alberta needs to adopt a cross-sectoral strategy to guide and monitor legislation and initiatives, with active participation from different ministries, municipalities, non-profit groups and families.

"I think it’s one of the most critical things we can do in society is making sure we can support children and families so they can live their best lives," said Jennifer Zwicker, director of social policy and health at the School of Public Policy and co-author of the report.

"It’s really acknowledging people’s lives are complex and impacted by the environment they're living in. This is impacted by their material resources that they have access to, thinking about their physical and mental health, thinking about their learning and developing, their social and cultural lives.

"So, it’s really the communities that children and families live, work and play that impact their health and well-being."

According to the UNICEF, Canada ranks 30th out of 38 high-income countries in terms of child well-being outcome indicators.

Zwicker said the situation is particularly concerning in Alberta, with the province falling below the national average on measures such as early development vulnerability and child abuse.

"There’s a lot of countries and jurisdictions putting energy into this, and really in Canada it needs to happen at a provincial level because of how our services are provided provincially," she said.

"It’s a key role of policy and government, and the structures we have in place. Not doing this… we’ve heard of the growing rate of mental health concerns among children and the growing concerns of child health and well-being… and we know this perpetuates into greater issues."

When asked about the report Tuesday, Premier Danielle Smith said the province is working with Indigenous groups to take over some children services and programs.

"That way they can make sure kids can stay within the community.

"Looking historically, 78 per cent of the children in care have been First Nations, so we’re working really hard to build capacity within those communities so that we can transfer that over," Smith said.

"I think it’s going to be healthier for the communities, the kids, the families, and I think that’s the longer term solution we need to strive for."

The study does recognize that Alberta is leading the way with innovative research and investments such as the One Child Every Child initiative, but doesn’t have a cross-ministry structure to guide or monitor these type of initiatives.

The study found Alberta lacks a framework for monitoring initiatives, which results in them being "fragmented or siloed from other ministry initiatives."

It also found initiatives "appear disrupted — starting, stopping and changing course with different government political leadership," and lack detailed planning, which can result in confusion for community groups who receive funding from government.

The study offers a list of recommendations, including the development of a cross-sectoral collaboration in provincial policymaking, ongoing monitoring of data, enhanced governance, and a focus on marginalized groups.

"There’s a lot of opportunity to change the trajectory in Alberta," said Zwicker.

"I don’t think that there’s necessarily been a decision not to prioritize children, however, there hasn’t been a purposeful approach to coordinate the really good activities that are going on between community groups, provincial federal government and municipalities, so there’s really a need to strategically recognize the importance of this."

In an emailed statement, a spokesperson from the Ministry of Children and Family Services said the recommendations in the report are already reflected in recent government initiatives.

“We are taking a cross-ministry approach and addressing this issue from all angles – including record investments in mental health and addictions services, such as school-based mental health services and the expansion of Family Resource Networks which create coordination of programming and services focused on improving the physical, mental and emotional well-being of youth, as well as cultural connections and supports for the LGBTQ2+ community,” the statement reads.

“We also support child and youth advocacy centres, which take a collaborative approach with various government departments (including the ministries of Children and Family Services, Mental Health and Addiction, Health, Justice, and Public Safety and Emergency Services), along with law enforcement agencies and community partners working together to ensure children and youth experiencing abuse can get the support they need in their healing journey.”

The province says evaluation of initiatives and consultation with stakeholders is ongoing, and any necessary changes can be implemented to “further enhance child well-being.”

Michelle Briegel, the president of the Child and Youthcare Association of Alberta, says she’s not surprised by the findings of the report based on feedback from members working in the field.

"When the government decides it wants to change policy or practice, it impacts the funding an agency and program is provided, which drastically impacts the services they can provide to children, youth and families.

"Oftentimes, services are cut very quickly because of the change in direction the government is going," she said.

"Ultimately it impacts children, youth and families in Alberta and society in a whole."