Children and Family Development
Minister of Children and Family Development Stephanie Cadieux has issued the following statement today in response to the release of the Representative for Children and Youth’s (RCY’s) report that investigates the suicide of a First Nations youth in 2013:
“I want to thank the Representative for her work on this report, A Tragedy in Waiting: How B.C.’s mental health system failed one First Nations youth. Ministry staff will review the RCY’s recommendations in this report in the context of the ministry’s multi-year plan and current youth mental-health system, which the Representative’s report is unable to fully catalogue.
“Any time a child dies is a tragedy, and I have no qualms with the Representative’s call for more action. I agree with her. While a lot has changed in terms of services and approach since Chester took his own life three years ago, some things remain the same. Youth mental health is a growing issue for teens throughout the province. According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, suicide is the second leading cause of premature death in youths aged 15 to 24 years, and the demand for services is growing, especially at the community level.
“We have taken action to ensure that young people like Chester know that help is available. By working with our service partners and stakeholders, including Aboriginal agencies, school districts and health authorities, to strengthen the system, we’ve made a number of significant improvements since 2013 – improvements that are making a big difference in the lives of B.C. children, youth and families.
“There are no wait times for any youth who is deemed by a mental health professional to be at risk of suicide. Unfortunately in Chester’s case, that’s where the system – as it existed in 2013 – failed. He was not flagged as suicidal, nobody involved in his case had a clear picture of the state of his mental health, and he was simply – and tragically – underserved.
“The provincial director of child welfare conducted a case review of Chester’s death; the Delegated Aboriginal Agency (DAA) that served him has implemented the resulting action plan, and the ministry has audited or reviewed the DAA four times since 2013 as part of the ministry’s regular oversight. All 29 of the recommendations resulting from these audits and reviews have been fully implemented.
“Changes have also been made provincially. The ministry now has 78 walk-in mental-health intake clinics throughout B.C. where children and youth can receive their initial assessment and be connected to the supports and services they need, when and where they need them. An online service map has also helped 8,900 children, youth and families to identify programs and services close to them.
“We continue to expand the use of tele-mental health services – most recently to the community of Cranbrook – so families can access psychiatric services through the BC Children’s Hospital without leaving their home communities.
“This is how the system looks today. However, even with these improvements, it’s still not enough. We’ve heard from individuals and families that we can still do better in making the mental-health system easier to navigate – and we’re listening.
“That’s why we convened the Cabinet Working Group on Mental Health to review current child and youth mental-health programs and services to identify and address key gaps in the current system and make sure that individuals and families can access support services early, before they find themselves in a crisis.
“In the meantime, I thank the RCY for her work on youth mental health and appreciate her recent support of government’s funding for initiatives like the expansion of youth tele-mental health and the Canadian Mental Health Association’s Confident Parents, Thriving Kids program, which helps families cope with their child’s mild to moderate behavioural issues.
“Our youth are our future. But when a youth doesn’t see a future for him or herself, then we, as a society, are robbed of their potential.”
Learn More:
Child and youth mental health in B.C.: www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/managing-your-health/mental-health-substance-use/child-teen-mental-health
Aboriginal Case Practice Audits: www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/family-social-supports/data-monitoring-quality-assurance/reporting-monitoring/accountability/aboriginal-case-practice-audits
