At Sunchild Child & Family Services, we believe every child and youth deserves to feel safe, cared for, and supported.
Keeping Kids and Youth Safe
If you or someone you know is in a situation where you don’t feel safe – at home, in your community, or anywhere else – there are people who can help. As a Delegated First Nations Agency (DFNA), our protection services follow Alberta’s Child, Youth, and Family Enhancement Act (CYFEA), which ensures that children and youth have the right to safety and well-being. This law was designed to protect and enhance the well-being of children, youth, and families. It provides authority for Child and Youth Services to intervene when a child needs protection and outlines the roles and responsibilities of all parties involved in child intervention services. Whenever possible, the goal is to support and preserve the family unit. This may involve:
- Connecting Families with Support Services, addressing concerns quickly and building trust with families.
- In-Home Assistance, empowering families to create solutions that fit their traditions and reduce removals.
- Culturally Appropriate Support, often incorporating Elders, traditional teachings, and Indigenous languages.
Approximately 10,000 children and youth in Alberta receive child intervention services monthly.
Indigenous children represented about 69% of children in care, highlighting the need for culturally appropriate services.
About 82% of children receiving intervention services remained with their families, showing a strong focus on family preservation.
When Is Help Needed?
Children and youth may require intervention services when their survival, security, or development is endangered due to various forms of maltreatment. Understanding these situations can help in recognizing when to seek assistance:
- Abandonment: This occurs when a child has been left without adequate care or supervision.
- Neglect: Neglect involves failing to provide a child with essential necessities such as food, clothing, shelter, medical care, and education.
- Physical Harm: Physical harm refers to situations where a child has suffered, or is at substantial risk of suffering, physical injury.
- Sexual Abuse or Exploitation: This involves subjecting a child to any form of sexual activity or exposing them to sexual content.
- Emotional Harm: Emotional harm occurs when a child’s mental or emotional health is damaged due to behaviours such as constant criticism, rejection, or exposure to domestic violence.
- Exposure to Family Violence: Exposure to family violence includes seeing or hearing violent acts between family members, which can lead to emotional and psychological distress.
Recognizing these signs is crucial. If you or someone you know is experiencing any of these situations, it’s important to seek help. You are not alone, and support is available.
What Happens When a Report Is Made?
When concerns about a child or youth’s safety are reported, child protection workers undertake a careful assessment process:
Intake
Reports of alleged abuse or neglect are received and screened to determine if they meet the criteria outlined in the CYFEA for a child requiring intervention.
Safety Assessment
If the report is screened in, an investigation will be done to assess the child’s safety.
Intervention Planning
Based on the assessment, a plan is developed to address the concerns. This may involve:
- Family Enhancement Agreements: Voluntary plans that outline steps the family agrees to undertake to ensure the child’s safety.
- Supervision Orders: Court-mandated services and conditions aimed at addressing safety concerns while the child remains in the home.
- Temporary or Permanent Guardianship Orders: In cases where the child’s safety cannot be ensured at home, the court may grant guardianship to the Director of Child Intervention Services.
- Ongoing Case Management and Support: This includes long-term oversight with regular visits, service referrals, and cultural healing programs, with the desired outcome being reunification.
Involving Sunchild Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and cultural programs at every stage in child protection services, including healing circles, naming ceremonies, and language teaching as core supports, reduces shame, builds community pride, and strengthens the family unit and Nation solidarity.
How to Get Help
If you’re a child or youth in need of assistance, or know someone who is, you’re not alone and you have some options:
- Talk to a Trusted Adult: Reach out to someone you trust, such as a teacher, family member, elder, or community leader.
- Call for Help: If you or someone you are reporting for is in immediate danger, call 911.
- Contact Us: At Sunchild Child & Family Services, we are here to listen and support you. Don’t hesitate to reach out for assistance.
You Are Not Alone
No matter what you’re going through, there are people who care and want to help. Our children deserve to feel safe, valued, and heard. If you or someone you know needs protection or support, reach out. We’re here for you.
Here to help, every step of the way
We know that seeking support can be difficult. Our doors are always open for those who need us. If you have questions or want to learn more about our services, contact us at any time. Our team is here to listen, guide, and walk with you every step of the way.
Office: 825-658-3000
If a child needs immediate help, call 911 or the Child Intervention Crisis Line at 1-800-638-0715.