17-Year-Old Susan

The Advocate regularly reports on the progress of recommendations at: The Ministry of Children’s Services publicly responds to recommendations at: 6. OFFICE OF THE CHILD AND YOUTH ADVOCATE INTRODUCTION The Office of the Child and Youth Advocate Alberta’s Child [...] The Advocate derives his authority from the Child and Youth Advocate Act (CYAA).4 The role of the Advocate is to represent the rights, interests and viewpoints of children receiving services through the Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act5 (the Enhancement Act), the Protection of Sexually Exploited Children Act6 (PSECA), or from the youth justice system. [...] The Advocate may investigate systemic issues arising from the death of a child who was receiving a designated service at the time of death if, in the opinion of the Advocate, the investigation is warranted or in the public interest. [...] She was admitted to an Adolescent Psychiatric Unit where she spoke about her struggle with addictions and how alcohol and drugs were always 12 The Enhancement Act allows for the confinement of a child for up to 30 days for stabilization and assessment when the child is found to be an immediate danger to themselves or others. [...] OFFICE OF THE CHILD AND YOUTH ADVOCATE The Advocate has made numerous recommendations in previous Investigative Reviews that are relevant to Susan’s circumstance: • The Ministry of Human Services and its service delivery partners should ensure that young people involved with Child Intervention Services are assessed to identify the impact traumatic events have had on them and that appropriate inter