Office for children and youth opens
'Youth and their families have an organization to go to when they have questions or concerns about child rights and government services:' advocate
Michele LeTourneau
Northern News Services
Monday, October 12, 2015
IQALUIT
Ten years in the making, the Representative for Children and Youth Office opened its doors on the day the act mandating the office came into force across the territory, Sept. 30.
"I work for you," was the message advocate Sherry McNeil-Mulak had for the young people of the territory at a news conference Sept. 28.
"As of Sept. 30, Nunavut's children, youth and their families will have an organization to go to when they have questions or concerns about child rights and government services."
The office is located in Iqaluit and has an open door policy for youth in the capital, but is available to any child, youth and their families from any community by phone or e-mail.
McNeil-Mulak says her team is diverse and can offer services in three official languages.
"Any child, youth or concerned adult can contact us about any matter involving a child, his or her rights and government services or programs, and we will listen and support them in having their interests heard," she said.
McNeil-Mulak says that over the past year, her office has been in contact with every service provider in the territory and has worked diligently to make sure government departments who offer services to children and youth are aware of her office's role.
"On one end of the spectrum is the provision of information on child rights or services that might be available and at the other end of the spectrum can be comprehensive advocacy intervention where we have one of our specialists sitting in, for instance, with the child, their family and a social worker to discuss questions they have and to facilitate that discussion," said McNeil-Mulak
"In between that spectrum, we have self-advocacy coaching, as well as more basic advocacy intervention where we may need to make a couple of phone calls to facilitate some issues being tended to on behalf of a child or youth."
McNeil-Mulak said it's children and youth and their families that drive the work.
"So we sit with them, discuss the issue and come up with a plan together. They do that in a collaborative fashion."
The office also has a mandate to get into bigger issues under the broad heading of "systemic advocacy."
"That's where we delve into those bigger issues affecting larger groups of children and youth, looking at policies, programs, and legislation," she said.
One of those bigger issues is the high rate of suicide in the territory.
"I think the rate of suicide in the territory is at a point where it is an emergency situation and we expect to see the type of investment that would support an emergency situation at this point in time," said McNeil-Mulak.
She adds that office staff attended the coroner's inquest held in September, was present for final recommendations and is now in process of thoroughly reviewing the recommendations.
Because the office has just opened, it has not yet committed to what systemic issues it will first review.
"However, over the past year staff attended several youth events - including the National Inuit Youth Summit and Youth Parliament. At these events, staff heard directly from young people on what issues mattered to them and concerns about suicide was certainly one issue youth repeated again and again and the office is listening to that message."
The mandate also includes public awareness and education, to work with children and youth and the public at large to raise awareness around child rights, the representative's office and "more importantly to get out there and listen."
"Listen to what the issues are, in the communities, affecting children and youth. We're very aware that there's universal issues across the territory and we're very aware as well that there's community-specific issues," said McNeil-Mulak
The Representative for Children and Youth Act also has the ability to review critical injuries and deaths of children in Nunavut.
The Representative for Children and Youth Office may be reached by phone in Iqaluit at 975-5090 or toll free: at 1-855-449-8118. The office e-mail is contact@rcynu.ca.
