The following statement was issued by Kelly Lamrock, New Brunswick advocate, concerning the government’s response to his report of April 24, which noted the government had mandated cuts of $47.1 million to child welfare services:

Following the release of our report, our office heard from a number of front-line staff, service providers and community organizations who expressed their concern over the deep cuts to programs for vulnerable children contained in the budget. There appears to be considerable consensus from the community that government has not yet shared with them the plan to ensure that these cuts do not hurt outcomes for children.

However, I also take note of the government’s prompt response and, in particular, the specific commitments made by the premier and the minister of social development.

The premier has provided assurances on the record that a plan will be provided which will answer the questions of how government will manage an historic cut and preserve and expand services for children. The premier has further said that there will be metrics besides money which government will measure.

At the same time, the minister of social development has reiterated that the $10 million to expand integrated services and the $7.2 million for early intervention services under the Child and Youth Well-Being Act will indeed be new money, over and above what was spent on those services last year.

These early indications that prevention and upstream services will not be clawed back, and that a plan is forthcoming, are encouraging. I appreciate both the promptness with which these assurances were offered, and I note the very real experience and passion for helping children which the minister has brought to the job, as well as her efforts to engage and be accessible to people on the front lines.

I will note that officials in the departments of Finance and Treasury Board and Social Development have to provide accurate answers to our questions under law, where misleading answers can lead to obstruction charges. In that forum, department officials did not contest the findings of our report and reported that there was no evidence to support a reduction in demand when the budget was made. However, the government could well be putting work in since the budget was made, and the fact that I am skeptical that the new money can be provided, and the reduction targets met, does not pre-empt government trying new things. The role of my office is to go on record with the concern, let government work, then monitor and report the facts.

That is why I have advised the Department of Social Development that we will be exercising the advocate’s powers under the Child, Youth and Senior Advocate Act to require quarterly reporting on the prevention and intervention measures contained in the Child and Youth Well-Being Act, including integrated services. The minister has set the target of ensuring that the $17.2 million in announced money is truly spent on new services, and therefore we should see just over $4 million more per quarter being invested in these services. We will monitor and advise the legislative assembly if this is the case.

I also note the premier’s comment that the government will be monitoring “metrics other than money.” I am fully supportive of any effort to establish and track outcomes rather than inputs, and would applaud the approach suggested by the premier if it comes to be.

Part of my skepticism that transformative change can be realized quickly enough to make these cuts work, without hurting kids, is because the department has not done a good job establishing metrics other than money. In fact, it has been over three years since the department committed to have measurable outcomes in place to track how many children in care are homeless, how many are graduating high school and attending post-secondary education, and how many are on partial-day plans at school.

Since the premier has indicated that metrics other than money will be tracked, I am trusting that there has been or will soon be clear political direction to the Department of Social Development that the delay in tracking these basic measures of children’s well-being will end and that these metrics will be in place promptly.

It has been reassuring that government responded promptly and placed on the record the commitment of our elected leaders that these cuts will not reduce services to children or hurt their future. My role will not be to continue the argument over whether what they have promised is mathematically possible; they say it is. My job will be to measure the facts and report quickly to the legislative assembly if the words have proven true or not.

It would be a happy day if I can advise that these commitments have been kept, and my office will do the tracking to ensure that the legislative assembly and the public know.