In 1994, Patt Cowan delivered a report to the Newfoundland Government that consisted of a proposal to instate a Child, Youth, and Family Secretariat, along with a Child Advocate, in the province of Newfoundland. The role of the Child Advocate is that of an ombudsman for children and youth who are under the juristiction of social services and other related government agencies. The position would have a legislated mandate to review and investigate any matter concerning any child, or group of children receiving any services from a government department or agency. The Advocate would be a consultant to the House of Assembly and would therefore be expected to make recommendations as to what plans and actions the Government should undertake in respect of the welfare of the province's young people.

                                        After seeing the success that six other provinces (Ontario, Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Quebec, and Manitoba) had in establishing such a department, the proposal was looked upon favourably by the members of the House of Asssembly. In a province that had, and still does have, nearly 40% of children under the age of 18 living below the poverty line, the introduction of a Child Advocate seemed imperative. Unfortunately, the cost of maintaining the program would be in the millions of dollars and it was not until the 2001 Provincial budget that funding finally became available. However, a decision is expected to be made sometime in mid-2001 as to whether or not the position of Child Advocate will be created. Despite these setbacks and with the problems currently plaguing the youth of Newfoundland and Labrador, the creation of the Child Advocate in the Provincial Government would be a move in the right direction.

                               The Office of the Child and Youth Advocate itself would consist of a central office, with several regional offices located in key areas throughout the province that would ensure that youth in every region will have equal access to the services offered. In terms of Personnel, there is the five year position of the Advocate and four separate, permanent positions of Deputy Advocate, Community/Public Relations Officer, Computer Programmer, and Receptionist. The office would serve children who are within an age range of 0 years to somewhere between 19 to 24 and their families. These clients would mostly consist of, but not be limited to youth under government care. The services of the Advocate would also be available to, children or youth who are either subjects of support or custody agreements, residing in youth detention or correction facilities, or who are no longer in government care but still seek assistance.

                    The office would provide advocacy on behalf of children and families who receive or are seeking services from Family Services by allowing them access to the appropriate complaint processes. The complaints can range from adjusting to a new foster home to allegations of sexual abuse. Many times, the claims are measured in terms of urgency and seriousness of the complaint. The Child Advocate will be expected to use the United Nations Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms, as well as the UN's Rights of a Child as a measure of whether or not the complaints show any reasonable violation of the grounds prohibited by the Charter and Rights of a Child. While the Office of the Child Advocate will review all complaints received, it must be available to research into serious matters as they arise. The Office of the Child Advocate can refuse to investigate or cease investigation if the claim is on a trivial matter, not in the public interest, not warranted by circumstances,  is more than a year old, or if an adequate remedy can be found under the law or current administrative practices.

                         Consider the impact that the Child Advocate has had in other provinces such as Ontario. Though the Advocate,  youth can report about the difficulties that they may have with their foster/group home or accessing services, for example mental health services and drug and alcohol services.  Most people who have contacted the Advocate's Office are uninformed about their rights and are also unaware that they can actually appeal the decisions made by social workers and government officials. Through programs created by the Advocate's Offices, the public is becoming better educated as to the laws that surround family services and the people they affect. In Nova Scotia, the Youth Secretariat is affiliated with the Nova Scotia Youth Art Showcase as well as employment opportunities directed towards the provinces youth . The Children's Advocate Office in Saskatchewan facilitates a Provincial Delegation that consist entirely of youth from around the province and allows them to become involved in the policy development and decision making that affects the youth in Saskatchewan. In British Columbia, a youth co-op position exists that not only allows the student to gain valuable experience by working for the government, but also gives the Advocate Office a better understanding as to how children and youth see government policies.

                      If the Newfoundland Government had the monies necessary to fund the development of the Advocate back in 1996, would it be possible that many of the problems that have affected the youth of Newfoundland lately would  have been remedied or even prevented with the presence of an Advocate ? Consider the difficulties that youth from the  Labrador communities of Davis Inlet and Sheshatshiu have faced. Intense media attention was placed on Davis Inlet during the early-nineties after large groups of young people were transferred to St. John's for treatment for their gasoline-sniffing addictions. Throughout the rest of the decade, Davis Inlet became synonomous with poverty and substance abuse. In 2001, all eyes were on the small community again after a second group of teens were found to be sniffing gasoline. In Sheshatshiu, nearly ten people have committed suicide in the past year; almost half of them were under the age of eighteen. If there was an Advocate available for the children in these communities, the government might have been more aware of how many houses there were in Davis Inlet that did not have heat or running water or the boredom and desolation caused by the isolation of Sheshatshiu. They may have been quicker in developing work programs and building the recreation centres that have been put in place, after the fact.

             The implementation of a Child and Youth Advocate in Newfoundland would provide the necessary link that children and youth need to challenge the choices that bureaucrats   make in their name. Giving them a person to talk to who actually has some influence in how government is run will have a serious affect in how the Foster Care system and any other programs are operated. Since it does take a village to raise a child, it would also encourage the individual communities and the government to work together in making the Child Advocate an integral part of Newfoundland life. This could be achieved by recognizing the Advocate as necessary to the well-being of children who would otherwise ‘fall between the cracks'. However, prevention is the key and the Child Advocate needs to be available before the fact, not after the fact.

                Abraham, Richard . (1996) . Select Committe on Children's Interests - Committe tables final report . [On-line]. Available: http://www.gov.nf.ca/releases/1996/house/0617n04.htm (March 29, 2001)

                AdvoKids. (2000). 2000 Annual Report: Get On With It: Make Children and Youth a Priority . [On-line]. Available: http://www.advokids.org/office/reports/ar-2000/ch-03.html .  (March 31, 2001)

                Children's Commission, Government of British Columbia. (2000).  Children's Commission- Our Work . [On-line]. Available: http://www.childservices.gov.bc.ca/work/work. html . (March 28,2001)

                Children's Advocate Office. (2000).  Children's Advocate Office : A voice for children and youth receiving government services . [On-line]. Available: http://www.legassembly.sk.ca/childadvocate/ . (April 1, 2001)

                Government of Newfoundland . (2001). Budget 2001- Budget Speech- MOVING FORWARD . [On-line].  Available: http://www.gov.nf.ca/budget2001/speech/forward.html .
(April 2, 2001)

                 Nova Scotia Youth Secretariat. (2000). About the Secretariat . [On-line] . Available: http://youth.ednet.ns.ca/y-sec.htm . (March 29, 2001)

                 Select Committee on Children's Interests, Newfoundland House of Assembly. (1996) . Strategic Plan for Government and Society on Child, Youth, and Families . [On-line] .
Available: http://www.gov.nf.ca/hoa/business/child.plan.htm . (March 28, 2001)

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