Serious injury report system to bolster advocate mandate

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This article was published 04/07/2023 (888 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

BRANDON — A reporting system has been put in place to track serious injuries of children and youth within the Child and Family Services, justice, mental health and addictions systems.

The province’s Serious Injury Reporting Regulation will make it mandatory for those who work with children and youth to report to the Manitoba advocate when such an incident occurs.

The regulation was five years in the making, and came into effect July 1.

“This is the third and final phase of the (Advocate for Children and Youth Act),” said Manitoba advocate Sherry Gott.

Phase 1 was expanded from focusing on child welfare and adoption to include disabilities, mental health, addiction, victim support services, domestic violence, sexual exploitation, youth justice and education.

Phase 2 widened the scope of advocacy to include investigations after the death of a child, youth or young adult.

“Phase 3 is so important because there was no central database being kept anywhere in Manitoba,” said Gott. “And now we can identify themes and trends with respect to serious injuries in children and youth.”

Serious injuries are a major public health issue worldwide and can often lead to lasting physical and/or psychological harm, according to a section of the act.

It defines a serious injury as life-threatening, one that requires admission to a hospital, and is expected to cause serious or long-term physical or psychological impairment. Additionally, serious injury can be the result of a sexual assault, causing long-term psychological impairment.

Even though the advocate’s office is associated with the Manitoba legislative assembly, it is non-partisan.

Under provincial law, the advocate is empowered to educate the public about children’s rights, as well as make recommendations to government, conduct child-centred research and publicize findings.

Gott said the office can now offer immediate support to individuals and families, which gives it deeper insight into the challenges faced by youth.

“It’s about the children all across Manitoba. We specifically monitor Child and Family Services and the services they provide to children in care, but we also monitor addictions, mental health and disabilities.” said Gott.

“There were times when we weren’t able to access that information in order to start an investigation.”

Now that the Serious Injury Reporting Regulation has been enacted, the Manitoba advocate has the authority to investigate serious injuries within a year of the injury, Families Minister Rochelle Squires said in a news release June 30.

“This collaborative effort marks the completion of recommendation No. 36 from the Phoenix Sinclair inquiry — to expand (the advocate’s) mandate beyond the Child and Family Services system, and to include reporting of serious injuries in addition to deaths.”

Phoenix was a five-year-old girl who was repeatedly abused and neglected, ending with her murder in June 2005 at Fisher River First Nation.

In 2011, Manitoba’s attorney general commissioned a report looking into Phoenix’s death, which resulted in 62 recommendations.

No. 36 called for an independent advocate for children, with the “responsibility to review not only deaths, but also critical injuries to any child in care and any child who had been involved with child welfare during the previous year.”

Once injury reports come into the database from the province’s service providers, the advocate’s office will conduct a review to determine whether it falls within its legislative mandate, and if appropriate, investigate.

“We have mechanisms in place, and we have hired staff,” said Gott.

“We hope this will enhance services for the children and youth in Manitoba, because it’s about protecting their interests and ensuring that they’re provided the appropriate services.”

— Brandon Sun