The 2018-19 Annual Report for the Yukon Child and Youth Advocate Office was tabled in the Legislative Assembly on Thursday. The report, Advocacy in Action, is a review of the Advocate Office’s operations from April 1st, 2018 to March 31st 2019. The report discusses achievements and goals in the three main roles of the Advocate: individual advocacy, systemic advocacy and public education.
“We have had our busiest year to date”, states Annette King, the Child and Youth Advocate. “The volume and complexity of individual advocacy issues continue to rise and our systemic advocacy has moved into full swing”.
Highlights of the report this year include:
A statistical overview of individual advocacy issues brought to the Advocate over the year.
A summary of two systemic issues addressed by the Advocate: Ageing out of Care and the Empty Spaces: Caring Connections – the Experiences of Children and Youth Living in Group Care. The Advocate provided recommendations to the Department of Health and Social Services in both areas and is tracking the implementation of the recommendations. “I am pleased with progress to date on these issues,” states King, “but there is a lot more work to do”. The Advocate identified several additional systemic trends that require analysis.
Youth engaged public education activities such as a wrap up of the Yukon Rookie League project and GlobalChild, an international research project that asks children and youth about how well they think their rights are being upheld. “Governments are obligated to uphold children’s rights laid out by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child”, states King. “Defending these rights can ensure better outcomes for children. These children will become our leaders of tomorrow”.
A formal submission provided to the Minister’s Advisory Committee to review the Child and Family Services Act. “We met with the advisory committee twice and provided written input highlighting themes from the experiences of the children and youth we work with”, states King. The majority of advocacy issues brought to the Advocate are for children and youth accessing services with Family and Children’s Services.
The annual report will be available at the Advocate Office on Second Avenue and is online at www.ycao.ca
The Child and Youth Advocate Office is an independent office of the Legislative Assembly. The operations of the office are guided by the Child and Youth Advocate Act. Children, youth or individuals concerned about a child or youth receiving services within Yukon Government can contact the Child and Youth Advocate Office at (867) 456-5575.
Contact:
Annette King, Child and Youth Advocate
Yukon Child and Youth Advocate Office
(867) 456-5575
annette.king@ycao.ca
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