At-risk children, youth focus of budget

Children and youth are taking centre stage in the latest Newfoundland and Labrador budget, with the government announcing a $167 million investment in the Department of Child and Youth Services.

Minister Joan Burke said the province has struggled to find-and keep-social workers to operate its child protection system. Burke said most of the department's budget will go towards beefing up the number of front-line staff.

"There will be a fundamental difference in the way we provide services," Burke said.

Twenty-seven new positions have been created, including social workers, supervisors and clerical staff, to deal with the shortage.

Burke said the increased staff will eventually help relieve the heavy caseloads that have buried many of the province's social workers for years, although she admitted there are "no quick fixes."

Hiring more staff is only part of the government's plan to revitalize the child protection system, which also includes $21.8 million to cover the cost of housing for at-risk children and youth.

A new IT system is also in the works, at a cost of $400,000, to replace the case management system social workers currently use. Burke said social workers describe the current system as "archaic."

Big boost for foster care

As part of their commitment to at-risk youth, the budget also calls for more than $30,000 for the Foster Families Association.

Burke said in the past, there hasn't been a focus to ensure that foster parents are equipped to take on what can be a very challenging and complex role.

"There's not a lack of people, there's been a lack of planning," said Burke, who adds there hasn't been any recruitment for new foster homes in recent years.

The budget also calls for a $36,000 survey of current foster families to better understand what their needs are.