Appendix 3 - Provincial and Territorial Children's Advocates
Newfoundland and Labrador
Child and Youth Advocate
www.childandyouthadvocate.nl.ca
The Office of the Child and Youth Advocate is an independent Office of the House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador. It's mandate is to: protect and advance the rights of children and youth and to ensure their voices are heard; ensure children and youth have access to services and programs provided for them by the government of the province; provide information and advice to government, its boards and agencies and to communities about the availability, effectiveness, responsiveness and relevance of the services they provide to children and youth; and act, generally, as an advocate of the rights and interests of the children and youth of the province.
Nova Scotia
Office of the Ombudsman, Youth Services
www.gov.ns.ca/ombu/Child_Ombud/default.asp
Youth Services offers an independent mechanism for investigating and resolving complaints from children and youth in the child custody and child protection systems, with the intention to expand to all youth accessing provincial and municipal youth serving systems.
Ombudsman representatives provide children and youth with an opportunity to have their voice heard, while monitoring conditions in facilities and making recommendations to improve various child-serving systems. The office provides independent oversight and outreach services to youth in correctional facilities, the secure care facility and residential child-caring facilities. They also ensure youth in Royal Canadian Mounted Police and municipal police holding cells are aware of Youth Services.
New Brunswick
Child and Youth Advocate
www.gnb.ca/0073/Child-YouthAdvocate/eng.html
The Child and Youth Advocate: listens to the needs and concerns of children and youth; ensures that children's rights and interests are protected; makes sure children's views are heard in the appropriate forums; investigates complaints children may have about how previous situations were handled by government agencies; assures children have proper access to the appropriate services; monitors laws and policies to make sure they are fair to children and followed properly; reports on the availability, effectiveness, responsiveness and relevance of child and youth services; acts as an advocate for the rights and interests of children and youth in general.
Québec
Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse
www.cdpdj.qc.ca/en/home.asp?noeud1=0&noeud2=0&cle=0
The Commission was constituted under the Charter of human rights and freedoms. The name and the responsibilities of the Commission result from the merging, in1995, of the mandates of the Commission des droits de la personne and the Commission de protection des droits de la jeunesse.
The Commission promotes and upholds, by any appropriate measures, the principles enunciated in the Charter of human rights and freedoms. The Commission also ensures, by any appropriate measures, the promotion and the protection of the rights of children recognized by the Youth Protection Act and the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
Ontario
Office of the Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth
The Office of the Provincial Advocate reports directly to the government of Ontario Legislature and provides an independent voice for children and youth, including children with special needs and First Nations children.
The Advocate responds to concerns from children, youth and families seeking or receiving services under the Child and Family Services Act and the Education Act (Provincial and Demonstration Schools).
The Provincial Advocate may identify systemic problems involving children, conduct reviews and provide education and advice on the issue of advocacy and the rights of children.
Manitoba
Children's Advocate
The Office of the Children's Advocate is an independent office of the Manitoba Legislative Assembly who represents the rights, interests and viewpoints of children and youth who are receiving, or should be receiving, services as prescribed under The Child and Family Services Act and The Adoption Act.
Saskatchewan
Children's Advocate Office
The Children's Advocate has the authority to promote the interests of, and act as a voice for children and youth who have concerns about provincial government services and engages in public education, works to resolve disputes and conducts independent investigations. The Children's Advocate also recommends improvements of programs for children to the government and/or the Legislative Assembly.
Alberta
Child and Youth Advocate
The legislative mandate of the Child and Youth Advocate is set out in the Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act (Enhancement Act). The Child and Youth Advocate provides advocacy for children and youth receiving services under the Enhancement Act or under the Protection of Sexually Exploited Children Act (PSECA). The mandate includes: the provision of advocacy services to individual children and youth or groups of children and youth; the provision of advice regarding matters related to the welfare and interests of children receiving services under the Enhancement Act or PSECA; facilitating the involvement of family or community members as advocates for children; submitting quarterly reports to the Minister about the activities and observations of the Child and Youth Advocate; and submitting an annual report respecting the exercise of the duties and functions of the Child and Youth Advocate.
British Columbia
Representative for Children and Youth
The mandate of the Representative for Children and Youth is to improve services and outcomes for children in British Columbia through advocacy, accountability and review. The Representative advocates on behalf of children and youth to ensure services meet their needs. The Representative also advocates for improvements to the system of services for children, youth and their families. It is the responsibility of the Representative to initiate reviews and investigate government agencies that provide services to children in British Columbia.
The Representative independently reviews and investigates deaths and critical injuries of children and youth receiving services, with an emphasis on preventing children and youth from being harmed in any way. The Representative also has the power to release reports that are independent of government approval and that uniquely focus on the child welfare system.
Yukon
Ombudsman
www.ombudsman.yk.ca/ombudsman/omb_index.html
The Ombudsman is an independent investigator whose job is to review and investigate complaints about how government departments, agencies, commissions and boards do business by reviewing their actions, decisions, practices and procedures.
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