Jones questions effectiveness of social services and justice system in Labrador

Yvonne Jones, MHA for the District of Cartwright-L'Anse au Clair, is questioning the effectiveness of the social services and justice system in Labrador after learning the situation faced by a 14-year old boy who was held in an adult lock-up for more than a week without the appropriate protection services provided by Child, Youth and Family Services.

"I was shocked and appalled to hear of the situation facing a 14-year old minor who fell through the cracks of our social services and justice system," said Ms. Jones. "The lack of action by government and police officials certainly raises a number of questions that must be answered immediately. It is certainly unacceptable for a youth to be put through this situation without any intervention by officials who were supposed to be looking after this child's best interests.

"There are a number of questions that need to be answered in this case. Why was this teenager held for over a week at an adult correctional facility and not in a secure treatment room at the hospital in Happy Valley-Goose Bay? Why wasn't a social worker constantly reviewing the file of this young person? Who is responsible for managing and following-up on case files involving troubled youth? As reported in the media, it took over a month for social services to deal with a court order involving this boy. If this is correct, there are larger systemic problems that must be addressed and somebody is obviously falling down on their responsibilities.

"I also have concerns with the approach of the justice minister in this case. Minister Kennedy has stated that his department has not launched any investigation into this matter because no formal complaint has been received. I have to question what type of invitation the minister requires before he is willing to get involved. The media have reported this issue, a judge has brought forward some very strong criticisms of the handling of this case and the Child and Youth Advocate has become involved. If the minister doesn't think an investigation is necessary because he hasn't been asked, I suggest he become more proactive and demand that something be done to address this situation. There are obvious problems that need to be addressed, and the time to address them is now."

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