The Office of the Auditor General of Canada has released a report on Child and Family Services in the Northwest Territories, outlining recommendations for how they can be improved.
The report highlights a number of challenges that Child and Family Services face in the territory, such as service consistency and workforce pressure.
The GNWT says they recognize ‘Child and Family Services is not yet where it needs to be’ and are working to improve them and implement the report’s suggestions.
“This report shines an important light on the Child and Family Services system, and we fully accept the Auditor General’s findings and recommendations and we are committed to acting on them,” said Minister Lesa Semmler.
The GNWT says they are taking steps to improve consistency in foster care support and to strengthen how data is used in planning and oversight, while using the Auditor General’s findings to identify other changes are needed.
“[The report] clearly identifies where we need to do better and reinforces the importance of consistent, measurable progress,” said Semmler.
The GNWT says they will be working with Indigenous and community governments to advance this work.
They plan to share regular public updates as the work to improve Child and Family Services in the territory continues.
