Recommendations
With the proclamation of the ACYA, MACY inherited the responsibility from the Manitoba Ombudsman to monitor the implementation of recommendations made by our office. In accordance with Section 11 (1)(d) of the ACYA, MACY will be monitoring the implementation of recommendations included in reports made as provided under Section 27 (Investigation) and Section 31 (Special Reports). In addition, Sections 30(2) and 30(4) of the ACYA require that the Manitoba Advocate must include in the Annual Report a summary of recommendations made in Special Reports, and may include information on the level of compliance to the recommendation.
To find out more about the recommendations that transferred in with the new legislation, check out our 2018/19 Annual Report (page 36-37).
The table below is a reflection of information as reported in the MACY Annual Report. It summarizes the recommendations released in Special Reports, identifies the activities conducted towards implementing the recommendation, and MACY’s evaluation of compliance to the recommendation.
Table Headings and Functions:
- Date Report Released: The date the Special Report was released by the Manitoba Advocate. Selecting the Date Released will show the full text of the recommendation.
- Title: The title of the Special Report. Selecting the Title will take you to the online version of the report.
- Report Type: Identifies if the recommendation came from a Special Report, or other report as released by the Manitoba Advocate.
- Recommendation Category: One or more key words to reflect the subject matter of the recommendation.
- Public Body: The domain responsible for implementing the recommendation and providing a response to the Manitoba Advocate.
- Date Last Response Received*: The date of the public body’s most recent response to the Manitoba Advocate regarding the recommendation.
- Date Response Due: The Manitoba Advocate requests that responses are provided every six months following the release of a Special Report.
- Reported Status by Public Body: The status of the recommendation as reported by the public body responsible for implementing the recommendation. Status is intended to reflect the stage of implementation.
- Action Taken by Public Body: A link to a description of the activities conducted by the public body, as reported by the public body.
- MACY Compliance Evaluation: Identifies if the Manitoba Advocate evaluates the work of the public body to be in compliance with the intention of the recommendation.
In November 2020, the Advocate released her first compliance report monitoring recommendations. See the full report here.
Date Released | Title | Recommendation Categories | Summary | Public Bodies | recommendation_category_hfilter | public_body_hfilter | ||||||||
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May 19, 2020 | “Stop Giving Me a Number and Start Giving Me a Person”: How 22 Girls Illuminate the Cracks in the Manitoba Youth Mental – Recommendation 7 | Mental Health and Addictions | Recommendation Seven: The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth recommends that the Government of Manitoba develop an inpatient or community-based long-term treatment resource that offers stabilization, assessment, treatment, and aftercare for youth who are at the top tier of mental health and addictions care needs, and for whom less intensive options have been ineffective. DETAILS:
IMPACT:
| Government of Manitoba, Manitoba Health and Seniors Care | mental-health-and-addictions | government-of-manitoba manitoba-health-and-seniors-care | ||||||||
May 19, 2020 | “Stop Giving Me a Number and Start Giving Me a Person”: How 22 Girls Illuminate the Cracks in the Manitoba Youth Mental – Recommendation 6 | Mental Health and Addictions | Recommendation Six: The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth recommends that the Department of Health, Seniors and Active Living (now Health and Seniors Care), in collaboration with rural and First Nations communities in Manitoba, and the federal government, where applicable, implement recommendation 2.11 of the Virgo Report, as summarized below: In the RHAs other than the WRHA, create mental health hubs (as identified in the Peachey report), with a view to: (a) developing these as integrated regional mental health and substance use/addictions (SUA) “focal points”, and (b) harmonizing a core set of regional services and supports to the hospital emergency departments and crisis services including: Screening, assessment, and support for SUA. 24/7 access to psychiatric consultation and acute assessment/treatment services. A core set of professionals in addition to psychiatrists with capacity in SUA support – e.g., clinical psychologists and psychiatric emergency nurses, Cross-trained mental health and addiction liaison workers co-located in hospital emergency departments/other hospital programs. Infrastructure and staffing to ensure safety and security of patients and staff. Links to community mental health and addictions services, including centralized intake (Virgo Planning, 2018; full wording may be found at p. 225). DETAILS:
IMPACT:
| Manitoba Health and Seniors Care | mental-health-and-addictions | manitoba-health-and-seniors-care | ||||||||
May 19, 2020 | “Stop Giving Me a Number and Start Giving Me a Person”: How 22 Girls Illuminate the Cracks in the Manitoba Youth Mental – Recommendation 5 | Mental Health and Addictions | Recommendation Five: The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth recommends that the Department of Health, Seniors and Active Living (now Health and Seniors Care), in collaboration with rural communities in Manitoba, and the federal government, where applicable, implement recommendation 4.8 of the Virgo Report: Building upon the successful experience of the NorWest Youth Hub and lessons learned from the experience of other provinces, develop a provincial plan for scale-up of the youth hub model, or similar models of integrated youth services, taking advantage of support from philanthropy as it may be available (Virgo Planning, 2018, p. 235). DETAILS:
IMPACT:
| Manitoba Health and Seniors Care | mental-health-and-addictions | manitoba-health-and-seniors-care | ||||||||
May 19, 2020 | “Stop Giving Me a Number and Start Giving Me a Person”: How 22 Girls Illuminate the Cracks in the Manitoba Youth Mental – Recommendation 4 | Mental Health and Addictions | Recommendation Four: In line with Article 24 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth recommends that the Government of Manitoba conduct an annual review of what therapeutic trauma interventions are available to children and youth in Manitoba and create an inventory of resources, whether the resources require formal referrals from service providers or are open for self-referrals, any associated eligibility criteria (age, location, care status, etc.) and promote the annual inventory and its findings in the public. DETAILS:
IMPACT:
| Government of Manitoba, Manitoba Health and Seniors Care | mental-health-and-addictions | government-of-manitoba manitoba-health-and-seniors-care | ||||||||
May 19, 2020 | “Stop Giving Me a Number and Start Giving Me a Person”: How 22 Girls Illuminate the Cracks in the Manitoba Youth Mental – Recommendation 3 | Mental Health and Addictions, Training | Recommendation Three: The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth recommends that the Government of Manitoba provide early childhood trauma education and training about trauma and its effects to service providers across all government departments delivering services to children and youth. DETAILS:
IMPACT:
| Government of Manitoba, Manitoba Families | mental-health-and-addictions training | government-of-manitoba manitoba-families | ||||||||
May 19, 2020 | “Stop Giving Me a Number and Start Giving Me a Person”: How 22 Girls Illuminate the Cracks in the Manitoba Youth Mental – Recommendation 2 | Mental Health and Addictions | Recommendation Two: The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth recommends that the Department of Health, Seniors and Active Living (now Health and Seniors Care) demonstrates its framework and strategic plan for transformation of the youth mental health and addictions systems in Manitoba ensures equitable access to services across all areas of Manitoba, which are tailored to the unique needs of children and youth in our province. DETAILS:
IMPACT:
| Manitoba Health and Seniors Care | mental-health-and-addictions | manitoba-health-and-seniors-care | ||||||||
May 19, 2020 | “Stop Giving Me a Number and Start Giving Me a Person”: How 22 Girls Illuminate the Cracks in the Manitoba Youth Mental – Recommendation 1 | Mental Health and Addictions | Recommendation One: The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth recommends that the Department of Health, Seniors and Active Living (now Health and Seniors Care) conduct a gap analysis of the youth mental health and addictions system, based on the tiered model proposed in the Virgo Report. The gap analysis ought to speak to the overall transformation framework and strategic plan for child and youth mental health and addictions services. Further, the Manitoba Advocate recommends the gap analysis, framework, and strategic plan is released publicly to Manitobans. DETAILS:
IMPACT:
| Manitoba Health and Seniors Care | mental-health-and-addictions | manitoba-health-and-seniors-care | ||||||||
February 27, 2020 | The Slow Disappearance of Matthew: A Family’s Fight for Youth Mental Health Care in the Wake of Bullying and Mental Illness – Recommendation 8 | Legal, Proclamation of ACYA | Recommendation Eight: Proclaim the outstanding sections of the ACYA. The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth recommends that the Government of Manitoba set a proclamation date for the remaining portions of The Advocate for Children and Youth Act in the spring of 2020. | Government of Manitoba | legal proclamation-of-acya | government-of-manitoba | ||||||||
February 27, 2020 | The Slow Disappearance of Matthew: A Family’s Fight for Youth Mental Health Care in the Wake of Bullying and Mental Illness – Recommendation 7 | Mental Health and Addictions, Planning | Recommendation Seven: A transparent framework for child and youth mental health and addictions health system transformation. The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth recommends that in a commitment to transparency and accountability, Manitoba Health, Seniors and Active Living (now Manitoba Health and Seniors Care) publicly release its framework and plan for transforming the youth mental health and addictions system in Manitoba so recent and anticipated investments and announcements can be understood by Manitobans not as one-off announcements, but as part of an overall tiered strategy for improving access, coordination, content, and capacity of the child and youth health care system in the province. | Manitoba Health and Seniors Care | mental-health-and-addictions planning | manitoba-health-and-seniors-care | ||||||||
February 27, 2020 | The Slow Disappearance of Matthew: A Family’s Fight for Youth Mental Health Care in the Wake of Bullying and Mental Illness – Recommendation 6 | Mental Health and Addictions, Residential Treatment | Recommendation Six: Long-term residential mental health treatment for youth. The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth recommends that the Government of Manitoba, through the Department of Health, Seniors and Active Living (now Manitoba Health and Seniors Care) create a long-term, residential treatment centre for youth who are in the top tier of mental health care needs and for whom less intensive options have been ineffective. | Government of Manitoba, Manitoba Health and Seniors Care | mental-health-and-addictions residential-treatment | government-of-manitoba manitoba-health-and-seniors-care | ||||||||
February 27, 2020 | The Slow Disappearance of Matthew: A Family’s Fight for Youth Mental Health Care in the Wake of Bullying and Mental Illness – Recommendation 5 | Mental Health and Addictions, System Navigators | Recommendation Five: Create mental health system Navigators to help children and youth. The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth recommends that Manitoba Health, Seniors and Active Living (now Health and Seniors Care) develop, implement and fund mental health and addictions system Navigators, who act as case managers for children and youth who are accessing the upper tiers of the youth mental health and addiction system, similar to Ontario’s model. These Navigators should be knowledgeable and well-trained and offer case coordination and rapid response services to ensure children and youth know their health care plan, can access appropriate services, and ensure case reviews are initiated when services are not effective. Further, much like the requirement for child and family services workers, mental health and addictions Navigators should provide services in accordance with provincial standards of care that change in their intensity and frequency according to the assessed levels of risk to a child or youth. | Manitoba Health and Seniors Care | mental-health-and-addictions system-navigators | manitoba-health-and-seniors-care | ||||||||
February 27, 2020 | The Slow Disappearance of Matthew: A Family’s Fight for Youth Mental Health Care in the Wake of Bullying and Mental Illness – Recommendation 4 | Access, Mental Health and Addictions | Recommendation Four: Improve access points for children and youth experiencing a mental health crisis. The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth recommends that Manitoba Health, Seniors and Active Living (now Health and Seniors Care), along with representatives from Shared Health, children’s emergency staff and child and adolescent psychiatry – in accordance with their master plan overview of Health Sciences Centre – evaluate practices at the Health Sciences Centre – Children’s Hospital Emergency Room, with the intent of developing and implementing a child and youth-centred, separate and specialized access point that meets the needs of children and youth who are experiencing a mental health crisis. | Manitoba Health and Seniors Care | access mental-health-and-addictions | manitoba-health-and-seniors-care | ||||||||
February 27, 2020 | The Slow Disappearance of Matthew: A Family’s Fight for Youth Mental Health Care in the Wake of Bullying and Mental Illness – Recommendation 3 | Bullying, Mental Health and Addictions | Recommendation Three: Safe and Caring Schools: A Whole School Approach to Planning for Safety and Belonging is a valuable tool created by the Department of Education and is an example of best practices for creating positive school environments. The Manitoba Advocate recommends that Manitoba Education continue its work to promote these supporting documents with Manitoba school divisions because all schools in Manitoba should be implementing the optional tools in the Safe and Caring Schools supporting documents. | Manitoba Education and Training | bullying mental-health-and-addictions | manitoba-education-and-training | ||||||||
February 27, 2020 | The Slow Disappearance of Matthew: A Family’s Fight for Youth Mental Health Care in the Wake of Bullying and Mental Illness – Recommendation 2 | Policy, Suspensions and Expulsions | Recommendation Two: The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth recommends that the Department of Education, with participation from all school divisions, develop a province-wide policy to limit, reduce, and phase-out exclusionary practices, except in situations of imminent safety risk to students and staff. This policy should provide evidence-informed disciplinary alternatives that are in line with the best interests of the child and respect the right of children and youth to education. | Manitoba Education and Training | policy suspensions-and-expulsions | manitoba-education-and-training | ||||||||
February 27, 2020 | The Slow Disappearance of Matthew: A Family’s Fight for Youth Mental Health Care in the Wake of Bullying and Mental Illness – Recommendation 1 | Mental Health and Addictions, Schools | Recommendation One: The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth recommends that Manitoba Education, in conjunction with Manitoba school divisions, highlight and promote the provincial learning objectives that focus on mental health literacy and mental well-being coping skills for all students from Grades K-12. Secondly, Manitoba Education and Manitoba school divisions should ensure that training is available to all teachers that will support and facilitate their classroom skills in mental health promotion. | Manitoba Education and Training | mental-health-and-addictions schools | manitoba-education-and-training | ||||||||
March 13, 2020 | Safe and Sound: A Special Report on the Unexpected Sleep-Related Deaths of 145 Manitoba Infants – Recommendation 13 | Safe Sleep | Recommendation Thirteen: The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth recommends that Manitoba Families work with child and family services authorities to develop a provincial standard that requires all child and family service providers to assess infants’ sleep environments as part of prescribed face-to-face contact with anyone receiving child welfare services, including all infants who are not in care. DETAILS:
IMPACT:
| CFS Authorities, Manitoba Families | safe-sleep | cfs-authorities manitoba-families | ||||||||
March 13, 2020 | Safe and Sound: A Special Report on the Unexpected Sleep-Related Deaths of 145 Manitoba Infants – Recommendation 12 | Safe Sleep, Training | Recommendation Twelve: The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth recommends that Manitoba Families, as part of the changes to provincial child welfare standards announced to end the use of birth alerts, include an assessment of the infant sleep environment in every safety plan for expectant mothers, and provide mothers and primary caregivers with the safe sleep surfaces and public education information they need to ensure the safety of their child. DETAILS:
IMPACT:
| Manitoba Families | safe-sleep training | manitoba-families | ||||||||
March 13, 2020 | Safe and Sound: A Special Report on the Unexpected Sleep-Related Deaths of 145 Manitoba Infants – Recommendation 11 | Safe Sleep | Recommendation Eleven: The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth recommends that the Collaborative Inter-departmental Working Group on Infant Mortality be reinstated and review cases of sleep-related infant deaths quarterly to look at trends and leverage this information to create and implement interventions to prevent future deaths. DETAILS:
IMPACT:
| Manitoba Health and Seniors Care | safe-sleep | manitoba-health-and-seniors-care | ||||||||
March 13, 2020 | Safe and Sound: A Special Report on the Unexpected Sleep-Related Deaths of 145 Manitoba Infants – Recommendation 10 | Database, Safe Sleep | Recommendation Ten: The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth recommends that Manitoba Justice provide the resources necessary for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to develop an electronic database, in partnership with the Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth, to collect and report on the incidence of and risk factors associated with all suspected sleep-related infant deaths in Manitoba. DETAILS:
IMPACT:
| Manitoba Justice | database safe-sleep | manitoba-justice | ||||||||
March 13, 2020 | Safe and Sound: A Special Report on the Unexpected Sleep-Related Deaths of 145 Manitoba Infants – Recommendation 9 | Data Collection, Safe Sleep | Recommendation Nine: The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth recommends that Manitoba Justice and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner work with RCMP and police services across the province to develop (if necessary) and implement a form based on the CDC’s SUIDIRF data collection form, to be used by all law enforcement officers in the province who attend the scene of an infant death. DETAILS:
IMPACT:
| Manitoba Justice | data-collection safe-sleep | manitoba-justice | ||||||||
March 13, 2020 | Safe and Sound: A Special Report on the Unexpected Sleep-Related Deaths of 145 Manitoba Infants – Recommendation 8 | Safe Sleep, Strategy | Recommendation Eight: The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth recommends that the Government of Canada resource an implementation strategy to expand prenatal and postnatal maternal child health programs, in consultation with First Nations and Metis Governments, into all of Manitoba’s First Nations communities. DETAILS:
IMPACT:
| Government of Canada | safe-sleep strategy | government-of-canada | ||||||||
March 13, 2020 | Safe and Sound: A Special Report on the Unexpected Sleep-Related Deaths of 145 Manitoba Infants – Recommendation 7 | Safe Sleep | Recommendation Seven: The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth recommends that Manitoba Health, Seniors and Active Living (now Health and Seniors Care), in consultation with the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs’ First Nations Health and Social Secretariat of Manitoba, develop a smoking cessation resource that prenatal healthcare providers and child welfare service providers can make available to expectant mothers. DETAILS:
IMPACT:
| Manitoba Health and Seniors Care | safe-sleep | manitoba-health-and-seniors-care | ||||||||
March 13, 2020 | Safe and Sound: A Special Report on the Unexpected Sleep-Related Deaths of 145 Manitoba Infants – Recommendation 6 | Safe Sleep | Recommendation Six: The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth recommends that Manitoba Health, Seniors and Active Living (now Health and Seniors Care), in partnership with the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs’ First Nations Health and Social Secretariat of Manitoba, develop an accredited online training module on safe infant sleep practices, accessible through the Shared Health Learning Management System (LMS). DETAILS:
IMPACT:
| Manitoba Health and Seniors Care | safe-sleep | manitoba-health-and-seniors-care | ||||||||
March 13, 2020 | Safe and Sound: A Special Report on the Unexpected Sleep-Related Deaths of 145 Manitoba Infants – Recommendation 5 | Safe Sleep | Recommendation Five: The Manitoba Advocate recommends that public education materials (e.g., books, pamphlets, videos, posters, etc.) developed by the Government of Manitoba, as part of any safe sleep education campaign, be written in accessible language and available in the prominent Indigenous languages of Manitoba. DETAILS:
IMPACT:
| Government of Manitoba | safe-sleep | government-of-manitoba | ||||||||
March 13, 2020 | Safe and Sound: A Special Report on the Unexpected Sleep-Related Deaths of 145 Manitoba Infants – Recommendation 4 | Safe Sleep | Recommendation Four: The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth recommends that the public education campaign be informed by data presented in this report and by evidence on effective risk communication and behaviour modification. DETAILS:
IMPACT:
| Manitoba Health and Seniors Care | safe-sleep | manitoba-health-and-seniors-care | ||||||||
March 13, 2020 | Safe and Sound: A Special Report on the Unexpected Sleep-Related Deaths of 145 Manitoba Infants – Recommendation 3 | Safe Sleep | Recommendation Three: The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth recommends that Manitoba Health, Seniors and Active Living (now Health and Seniors Care), in partnership with the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs’ First Nations Health and Social Secretariat of Manitoba, and First Nations and Metis governments develop, carry out, and subsequently evaluate, a new public education campaign that raises awareness of the known risk factors associated with sleep-related infant deaths. DETAILS:
IMPACT:
| Manitoba Health and Seniors Care | safe-sleep | manitoba-health-and-seniors-care | ||||||||
March 13, 2020 | Safe and Sound: A Special Report on the Unexpected Sleep-Related Deaths of 145 Manitoba Infants – Recommendation 2 | Safe Sleep, Safe Sleep Surface | Recommendation Two: The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth recommends that the Government of Canada, in consultation with the First Nations governments of Manitoba, develop and implement a plan to ensure that no infant living in Manitoba First Nations communities is without a safe sleeping surface (crib, bassinette, or culturally appropriate safe alternative), in line with Jordan’s Principle. DETAILS:
IMPACT:
| Government of Canada | safe-sleep safe-sleep-surface | government-of-canada | ||||||||
March 13, 2020 | Safe and Sound: A Special Report on the Unexpected Sleep-Related Deaths of 145 Manitoba Infants – Recommendation 1 | Safe Sleep, Safe Sleep Surface | Recommendation One: The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth recommends that the Government of Manitoba develop and implement an action plan, in consultation with First Nations and Metis governments, to ensure that every infant in Manitoba under 24 months has a safe sleep surface (crib, bassinette, or culturally appropriate safe alternative) in which to sleep. The action plan ought to be targeted to both expectant parents and caregivers of infants under 24 months who cannot afford to purchase a safe sleep surface. The action plan will be designed and delivered based on the child-first and substantive equality principles. DETAILS:
IMPACT:
| Government of Manitoba | safe-sleep safe-sleep-surface | government-of-manitoba | ||||||||
March 12, 2019 | A Place Where it Feels Like Home: The Story of Tina Fontaine – Recommendation 5 | Missing Youth, Sexual Exploitation | Recommendation Five: The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth recommends that Manitoba Families, in consultation with other government departments and relevant stakeholders, create a new protocol to ensure that response plans are created for missing youth in general, and sexually exploited youth in particular who are at risk of imminent harm. DETAILS – Manitoba Families to ensure that this protocol:
| Manitoba Families | missing-youth sexual-exploitation | manitoba-families | ||||||||
March 12, 2019 | A Place Where it Feels Like Home: The Story of Tina Fontaine – Recommendation 4 | Safe and Secure Treatment Facilities | Recommendation Four: The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth recommends that the Manitoba government, through its Deputy Ministers of Health and Social Policy and Priorities (DMHSPP) committee, work with the government’s Legislation and Strategic Policy Branch to analyse the province of Alberta’s Protection of Sexually Exploited Children Act and Alberta’s Drug-Endangered Children Act to determine how safe and secure treatment facilities can be introduced in Manitoba. It is DETAILS:
| Government of Manitoba | safe-and-secure-treatment-facilities | government-of-manitoba | ||||||||
March 12, 2019 | A Place Where it Feels Like Home: The Story of Tina Fontaine – Recommendation 3 | Victim Support Services | Recommendation Three: The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth recommends that Manitoba Justice evaluate the continuum of victim support services for children and develop quality control measures to ensure that services are child-centred and provided in a timely manner.
| Manitoba Justice | victim-support-services | manitoba-justice | ||||||||
March 12, 2019 | A Place Where it Feels Like Home: The Story of Tina Fontaine – Recommendation 2 | Child and Youth Mental Health | Recommendation Two: The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth recommends that Manitoba Health and Seniors Care expedite the public release of a clear implementation plan to address the child and youth-specific recommendations contained in the report on Improving Access and Coordination of Mental Health and Addiction Services: A Provincial Strategy for all Manitobans (“Virgo Report”). DETAILS:
| Manitoba Health and Seniors Care | child-and-youth-mental-health | manitoba-health-and-seniors-care | ||||||||
March 12, 2019 | A Place Where it Feels Like Home: The Story of Tina Fontaine – Recommendation 1 | and Expulsions, School Suspensions | Recommendation One: The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth recommends that Manitoba Education and Training ensure its recently established Commission on Kindergarten to Grade 12 Education review the measurement of and response to absenteeism across Manitoba. It is further recommended that the Commission review the use of out-of-school suspensions and expulsions, with the goal of developing a province-wide strategy to limit, reduce, and phase-out exclusionary practices, DETAILS:
| Manitoba Education and Training | and-expulsions school-suspensions | manitoba-education-and-training | ||||||||
February 21, 2019 | Learning from Nelson Mandela: A Report on the Use of Solitary Confinement and Pepper Spray in Manitoba Youth Custody Facilities – Recommendation 6 | Justice Alternatives, Mental Health Treatment | Recommendation Six: The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth recommends that Manitoba Justice and Manitoba Health, Seniors and Active Living immediately embark on the development of a specialized health facility led and run by mental health professionals to provide evidence-informed programming for youth with mental illnesses or cognitive vulnerabilities in custody, including youth who are found not criminally responsible. DETAILS:
| Manitoba Health and Seniors Care, Manitoba Justice | justice-alternatives mental-health-treatment | manitoba-health-and-seniors-care manitoba-justice | ||||||||
February 21, 2019 | Learning from Nelson Mandela: A Report on the Use of Solitary Confinement and Pepper Spray in Manitoba Youth Custody Facilities – Recommendation 5 | Justice Alternatives | Recommendation Five: The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth recommends that Manitoba Justice respond to the overrepresentation of youth with mental illnesses, cognitive vulnerabilities, and childhood trauma by developing an action plan with Manitoba Health, Seniors and Active Living and Manitoba Families for the implementation of evidence-informed and culturally-safe therapeutic behavioural management alternatives to solitary confinement and pepper spray, with the goals of
| Manitoba Health and Seniors Care, Manitoba Justice | justice-alternatives | manitoba-health-and-seniors-care manitoba-justice | ||||||||
February 21, 2019 | Learning from Nelson Mandela: A Report on the Use of Solitary Confinement and Pepper Spray in Manitoba Youth Custody Facilities – Recommendation 4 | Pepper Spray | Recommendation Four: The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth recommends that Manitoba Justice immediately prohibit the use of pepper spray in youth custody facilities except in situations of immediate risk to life* to correctional staff or other youth in custody by amending The Correctional Services Regulation. DETAILS:
*For the purpose of this recommendation, ‘immediate’ shall be defined as proximate danger to life as perceived by an objective third party in the circumstances.
| Manitoba Justice | pepper-spray | manitoba-justice | ||||||||
February 21, 2019 | Learning from Nelson Mandela: A Report on the Use of Solitary Confinement and Pepper Spray in Manitoba Youth Custody Facilities – Recommendation 3 | Solitary Confinement | Recommendation Three: The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth recommends that Manitoba Justice collect, track, analyse, and report on incidents of segregation across youth custody facilities to ensure transparency and accountability. DETAILS:
| Manitoba Justice | solitary-confinement | manitoba-justice | ||||||||
February 21, 2019 | Learning from Nelson Mandela: A Report on the Use of Solitary Confinement and Pepper Spray in Manitoba Youth Custody Facilities – Recommendation 2 | Solitary Confinement | Recommendation Two: The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth recommends that the Manitoba government and Manitoba Justice restrict the use of any form of segregation under 24 hours in youth custody facilities through an amendment to The Correctional Services Regulation. DETAILS:
| Government of Manitoba, Manitoba Justice | solitary-confinement | government-of-manitoba manitoba-justice | ||||||||
February 21, 2019 | Learning from Nelson Mandela: A Report on the Use of Solitary Confinement and Pepper Spray in Manitoba Youth Custody Facilities – Recommendation 1 | Solitary Confinement | Recommendation One: The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth recommends that the Manitoba government and Manitoba Justice amend The Correctional Services Act to prohibit the solitary confinement of youth for a period exceeding 24 hours, per the Nelson Mandela Rules. DETAILS:
| Government of Manitoba, Manitoba Justice | solitary-confinement | government-of-manitoba manitoba-justice | ||||||||
December 13, 2018 | In Need of Protection: Angel’s Story – Recommendation 6 | Substance Use Treatment | Recommendation Six: The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth recommends that Manitoba Health and Seniors Care, in collaboration with the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba and other stakeholders, amend The Youth Drug Stabilization (Support for Parents) Act so that longer warrants or successive warrants are possible to ensure children and youth get the medically supported withdrawal management services they need based on evidence-informed treatment best practices for addictions (e.g. methamphetamine, alcohol, opioids). DETAILS – Work to this effect should:
| Manitoba Health and Seniors Care | substance-use-treatment | manitoba-health-and-seniors-care | ||||||||
December 13, 2018 | In Need of Protection: Angel’s Story – Recommendation 5 | Safe and Secure Treatment Facilities | Recommendation Five: The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth recommends that Manitoba Health and Seniors Care and Department of Families, in collaboration with the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba, (1) review and reform the province’s treatment programs for children and youth and (2) create safe and secure facilities for youth in Manitoba who are sexually exploited and harmfully involved in substance misuse. DETAILS – This should:
| Manitoba Families, Manitoba Health and Seniors Care | safe-and-secure-treatment-facilities | manitoba-families manitoba-health-and-seniors-care | ||||||||
December 13, 2018 | In Need of Protection: Angel’s Story – Recommendation 4 | Accountability, CFS Service Standards | Recommendation Four: The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth recommends that the Minister of Families, through the Child and Family Services Division (CFSD), in collaboration with the four child and family services Authorities, (1) conduct an evidence-informed review and update of existing provincial service standards, and (2) establish province-wide measures of service accountability through a provincial quality assurance framework. Both the service standards and the quality assurance measures must be consistent throughout the province, culturally appropriate, and supported and enforced by the governing child and family services Authorities within their child and family services agencies. As per provincial legislation, quality assurance measures at the authority level must then be assessed and monitored by the Minister of Families. DETAILS – This province-wide quality assurance framework should include:
| Manitoba Families | accountability cfs-service-standards | manitoba-families | ||||||||
December 13, 2018 | In Need of Protection: Angel’s Story – Recommendation 3 | Sexual Exploitation | Recommendation Three: The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth recommends that Communication Services Manitoba, Manitoba Education and Training, Manitoba Families, Manitoba Justice, Manitoba Health, Seniors and Active Living, Manitoba Status of Women, and Manitoba Indigenous and Northern Relations collaborate with youth advisory groups, the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, Winnipeg Police Service, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Indigenous and community organizations, and the Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth to carry out ongoing public education via awareness campaigns that (a) denounce the sexual exploitation of children and youth and (b) raise awareness about the ongoing demand for purchasing sex and/or sexually exploiting children and youth in Manitoba. DETAILS – This plan should:
| Manitoba Education and Training, Manitoba Families, Manitoba Health and Seniors Care, Manitoba Justice | sexual-exploitation | manitoba-education-and-training manitoba-families manitoba-health-and-seniors-care manitoba-justice | ||||||||
December 13, 2018 | In Need of Protection: Angel’s Story – Recommendation 2 | Sexual Exploitation | Recommendation Two: The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth recommends that Manitoba Education and Training, Manitoba Families, Manitoba Justice, and Manitoba Health, Seniors and Active Living engage with experts in childhood trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in order to develop a trauma prevention and response plan of action to (a) educate service providers and the public on ACEs, and (b) create appropriate, accessible immediate and long-term evidence informed interventions to address the trauma crisis that is ongoing in Manitoba. DETAILS – These activities should include:
| Manitoba Education and Training, Manitoba Families, Manitoba Health and Seniors Care, Manitoba Justice | sexual-exploitation | manitoba-education-and-training manitoba-families manitoba-health-and-seniors-care manitoba-justice | ||||||||
December 13, 2018 | In Need of Protection: Angel’s Story – Recommendation 1 | Adverse Childhood Experiences, Childhood Trauma | Recommendation One: The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth recommends that Manitoba Education and Training, Manitoba Families, Manitoba Justice, and Manitoba Health, Seniors and Active Living engage with experts in childhood trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in order to develop a trauma prevention and response plan of action to (a) educate service providers and the public on ACEs, and (b) create appropriate, accessible immediate and long-term evidence-informed interventions to address the trauma crisis that is ongoing in Manitoba.
| Manitoba Education and Training, Manitoba Families, Manitoba Health and Seniors Care, Manitoba Justice | adverse-childhood-experiences childhood-trauma | manitoba-education-and-training manitoba-families manitoba-health-and-seniors-care manitoba-justice | ||||||||
October 19, 2018 | Documenting the Decline: The Dangerous Space Between Good Intentions and Meaningful Interventions – Recommendation 6 | Training | Recommendation Six: The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth recommends that the Department of Families in partnership with the Child and Family Services (CFS) Authorities: (1) clarify training content and expectations of workers and supervisors with respect to CFS minimum provincial standards, and (2) prioritize the development of high quality, culturally appropriate, modernized, and accessible training on the minimum provincial service standards within two years. The Advocate further recommends that all existing workers who have not received training on minimum standards and all new CFS workers be required to complete this training within three to six months. DETAILS:
| Manitoba Families | training | manitoba-families | ||||||||
October 19, 2018 | Documenting the Decline: The Dangerous Space Between Good Intentions and Meaningful Interventions – Recommendation 5 | Youth Probation Orders | Recommendation Five: The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth recommends that the Department of Justice improve communication across the divisions within its department, including probation services, victim services, and prosecution services, as well as with the legal community (e.g. legal aid), and the courts to ensure that probation orders are relevant, effective, child-centred, realistic (given limitations in remote and rural communities), and achievable. The Advocate further recommends that the Department of Justice evaluate their capacity to provide the programming for youth to meet their probation conditions and determine whether or not existing programs and services are sufficient and accessible to youth living in rural and remote locations. When gaps are identified, strategies for culturally appropriate alternatives and program delivery need to be developed.
| Manitoba Justice | youth-probation-orders | manitoba-justice | ||||||||
October 19, 2018 | Documenting the Decline: The Dangerous Space Between Good Intentions and Meaningful Interventions – Recommendation 4 | Substance Use Treatment | Recommendation Four: The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth recommends that Manitoba Health and Seniors Care, together with front-line addiction service providers in Manitoba, Healthy Child Manitoba, Indigenous communities, and subject matter experts on addictions, immediately respond to the lack of effective substance use treatment services for youth by prioritizing the development and implementation of a youth addiction action strategy. This strategy should be based on best practice evidence with the objective of ensuring that children and youth across Manitoba can exercise their right to the highest attainable standard of health. DETAILS:
| Manitoba Health and Seniors Care | substance-use-treatment | manitoba-health-and-seniors-care | ||||||||
October 19, 2018 | Documenting the Decline: The Dangerous Space Between Good Intentions and Meaningful Interventions – Recommendation 3 | Coordination, Mental Health Services | Recommendation Three: The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth recommends Manitoba Health and Seniors Care implement, in full, recommendation 5.4, per the Virgo report, as follows: Establish a concerted cross-sectoral process to reduce perceived and real jurisdictional boundaries that challenge access to, and coordination of, services. The process of developing this [Manitoba’s Mental Health and Addictions] Strategy, as well as any new opportunities and resources for working together (e.g., through Jordan’s Principle), should be viewed as an accelerator of a new period of trust and collaboration based on shared beliefs and strengths among all partners, and should include an interest in wellness, hope and family/community health. DETAILS:
| Manitoba Health and Seniors Care | coordination mental-health-services | manitoba-health-and-seniors-care | ||||||||
October 19, 2018 | Documenting the Decline: The Dangerous Space Between Good Intentions and Meaningful Interventions – Recommendation 2 | School Suspensions | Recommendation Two: The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth recommends that the Department of Education and Training through Healthy Child Manitoba, and with participation from all school divisions, conduct an urgent review of the current use of out-of-school suspensions and expulsions, and develop a province-wide strategy to limit, reduce, and phase-out exclusionary practices, except in situations of imminent safety risk to students and staff. This review and strategy should provide evidence-informed disciplinary alternatives that are in line with the best interest of the child and respect the right of children and youth to education. DETAILS:
| Manitoba Education and Training | school-suspensions | manitoba-education-and-training | ||||||||
October 19, 2018 | Documenting the Decline: The Dangerous Space Between Good Intentions and Meaningful Interventions – Recommendation 1 | Coordination, Planning | Recommendation One: The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth recommends that the Province of Manitoba respond to the persistent lack of coordination between services for children and youth by developing and implementing a provincial strategy to train service providers on the requirement to share information across systems and ensure children and youth are at the centre of all service provision. This is to be developed, delivered, and evaluated in consultation with Manitoba Education and Training, Manitoba Families, Manitoba Justice, and Manitoba Health, Healthy Living and Seniors. DETAILS:
| Government of Manitoba | coordination planning | government-of-manitoba |