Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 28, 2015, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A3 HONDA 2610 McPhillips Street North of Leila 204- 284- 6632 CrownHonda. ca In The Waverley Auto Mall at Bishop Grandin 204- 261- 9580 WinnipegHonda. ca R I S K - F R E E C A R B U Y I N G . . . W E G U A R A N T E E I T ! TheDilawriGroup. ca #/� Limited time lease offers from Honda Canada Finance Inc. ( HCFI), On Approved Credit. Weekly lease offers apply to a new 2015 CR- V LX 2WD, model RM3H3FES/ Civic DX, model FB2E2FEX/ Odyssey LX, model RL5H4FE for a 60/ 60/ 60- month period, for a total of 260/ 260/ 260 payments of $ 70/$ 42/$ 89 leased at 1.99%/ 0.99%/ 2.99% APR. 120,000 kilometre allowance ( 12 cents/ km excess charge applies). Consumers may pre- purchase up to a maximum of 16,000 extra km/ year at $ 0.08/ km at the time of entering into the lease agreement. Total lease obligation is $ 18,200/$ 10,920/$ 23,140. 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Irvin- Ross made the comments Tuesday after the government released a 228- page report prepared by consultant Barbara Bruce of AMR Planning & Consulting, the final update into how the province can implement 31 of the remaining recommendations made by Hughes. " The long term is between five and seven years until we have implementation," Irvin- Ross said. " We're not able to commit on every option for action because there are a number of consultations that have to continue to happen." That delay was met almost immediately with criticism the province is moving too slowly to improve the way Child and Family Services operates in the province, including reducing the heavy caseloads on social workers and giving the province's Office of the Children's Advocate more power to be a watchdog over the child- welfare system. Children's Advocate Darlene Mac- Donald said the process outlined in the report doesn't appear to be in keeping with what Hughes recommended - that a new independent office be established that has the same leeway as the ombudsman or auditor general to be critical of government policy and decision- making. Irvin- Ross said the province plans to introduce legislation that would give the Office of the Children's Advocate greater independence, but MacDonald said it appears it will be a watereddown version of what Hughes recommended. The Children's Advocate is a quasiindependent office of the Manitoba Legislative Assembly that investigates and makes recommendations on matters relating to child welfare, including reviewing the deaths of young persons who were in care in the year preceding their death. " I'm thrilled the government has gone on record that they're actually going to do something with our legislation," MacDonald said. " What I heard made me think it's a tweak in our legislation. What we need is independent legislation and a strong mandate." The plan outlined in the AMR report also includes MacDonald's office hiring an indigenous associate children's advocate to work on behalf of indigenous families and children to ensure they are treated fairly by CFS. " Clearly, I'm happy with the addition, but what I really need is line workers to do the job," she said. " What I need is the staffing just to go out there are do it." She said in the last year, her office handled more than 2,000 referrals. Hughes said in an interview while he respected the work of government, he was still concerned not enough headway is being made to reduce the caseloads of social workers. In his report, he recommended social workers' caseloads be set at a ratio of one worker to 20 files. " I made my recommendations as my best effort, but I fully recognize that the government has to make the decision on implementation," Hughes said. " They've got the problem of funding and I fully understand that there are only so many dollars to go around. I respect their decision to move forward on the pace they decide, providing they are going to move forward." Irvin- Ross said the average caseload for a single social worker is currently 28 files. Workers and supervisors who testified during the inquiry talked about averages of 30 to 40 cases, sometimes more. Irvin- Ross said the province is working toward a 1: 25 ratio. " It would have to be a phased- in approach," she said of further reductions in caseloads. " You need to develop your workforce. You need to provide them with the ongoing training and also, to bring that down, there is a financial cost as well." The government will increase its financial support for all CFS agencies with a 60 per cent increase for family supports ($ 2,100 from $ 1,300) to allow for greater flexibility, Irvin- Ross said. " Our priority is to keep children at home safely, and we can use that money if it's used to provide family support, if someone was able to come in and provide family support," Irvin- Ross said. " It's going to give front- line staff more flexibility if they identify that there's a need within a family. If mom has a medical crisis and rather than taking the child into care because of the medical crisis, if we can put some support services around that family and keep them intact, that's what we'll do." Opposition Family Services critic Ian Wishart said he's concerned about the length of time it's taken for the AMR report to be released and for some of Hughes's recommendations to be put in place. He also said the communication between agencies, in following up on cases moving from one agency to another, still isn't what it should be. " If they don't talk to one another, what's going to happen? Another Phoenix Sinclair," he said. Irvin- Ross added the province will also create a working group to look at expanding services to young adults moving out of care up to age 25, another recommendation made by Hughes. Current services extend to age 21. Irvin- Ross said putting that recommendation in place won't come quickly. " We're going to continue to enhance the services that we have up to age 21, but as we do that, look at that broader question of what it does it look like if we are expanding it to 25," she said. " It's an option on the table and we're going to be reviewing it. We're going to come up with a plan that is balanced and supports the youth and the families." Irvin- Ross said one of Hughes' recommendations will be fully in place April 1. That's when social work in Manitoba will become a fully regulated profession. bruce. owen@ freepress. mb. ca Tragic story that sparked inquiry THE NDP government called the inquiry into Phoenix Sinclair's June 2005 killing six years after her death. It was called to examine the circumstances that led to the five- year- old's death, the level of care provided by various childwelfare service agencies, and why her death went undiscovered for several months. The child died following a long period of abuse that included beatings and being shot by a BB gun. Her death went unnoticed by authorities until March 2006. Phoenix's mother, Samantha Kematch, and stepfather, Karl McKay, were convicted of firstdegree murder in late 2008. During the trial, experts told court Phoenix had suffered repeated injuries such as broken bones from her pelvis to her skull. The girl's stepbrothers testified she was often hit, choked and forced to spend days and nights lying naked in the basement of the family's home on the Fisher River reserve north of Winnipeg. There was also testimony she was forced to eat her own vomit. The last time Winnipeg Child and Family Services had anything to do with Phoenix's case was in March 2005. The inquiry heard social workers closed her file several times without seeing her or checking on McKay and his violent, lengthy CFS file. Her body was found buried at the Fisher River First Nation dump nearly a year after she was murdered. Changes coming, but not soon Up to seven years to implement all of inquiry's recommendations By Bruce Owen SCAN PAGE TO WATCH VIDEO MORE COVERAGE / A4 RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Family Services Minister Kerri Irvin- Ross ( centre) is flanked by Barbara Bruce of AMR Planning & Consulting and assistant deputy minister of family services Ben Van Haute at a news conference Tuesday. Phoenix Sinclair A_ 03_ Jan- 28- 15_ FP_ 01. indd A3 1/ 27/ 15 9: 16: 01 PM ;