Canadian Council of Provincial Child and Youth Advocates Meet in Halifax

Helping to ensure that young people's voices are heard on issues that directly affect them is the focus of this year's Canadian Council of Provincial Child and Youth Advocates meeting.

The council is meeting in Halifax, today, Sept. 28 to Friday, Sept. 30, to talk about youth engagement -- how to include youth's voices in the decision-making processes of issues that affect them, both provincially and nationally.

The council has identified critical issues for discussion, including setting standards of care for youth in secure custody and permanency planning for children in state care -- arranging permanent family placement so the child can feel comfortable and secure to plan for their future.

Youth representatives from across the country will provide their opinions about how they can become more directly involved with the council as a whole.

The Canadian Council of Provincial Child and Youth Advocates has been active since 1996. Its members work to ensure that children and youth are treated with dignity, tolerance, respect and equality. The council is an alliance of the five provincially appointed children's advocates from Alberta, Manitoba, Newfoundland, Ontario and Saskatchewan; youth services at the Nova Scotia Office of the Ombudsman; Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse, from the province of Quebec; and the British Columbia Child and Youth Officer. Although mandates differ provincially, council members share a common commitment to further the voice, rights and dignity of children.

In Nova Scotia youth services at the Office of the Ombudsman investigates and resolves complaints in all youth serving systems including the child custody and child protection systems as well as health, education, sport and recreation, justice and community services.