Children in government care in Alberta have been put at risk through use of unlawful face-down restraints, placed in inappropriate foster homes, and have been targets for sexual abuse by other youngsters, according to the provincial NDP.
MLA Rachel Notley said yesterday she has uncovered disturbing quarterly reports by the Alberta Child and Youth Advocate’s office - which handles complaints about children in provincial care - through freedom of information legislation.
The documents reveal: the continued use of face-down restraints "despite legislative prohibitions"; reports of "peer-to-peer sexual abuse," without a concrete process of investigating such claims; and an incident in which a caseworker spent eight months requesting a new placement for two siblings under the age of six because "their needs were not being met and the placement was inappropriate."