8 kids died in care last year: report

A total of 26 died while receiving services from province — 14 of unknown causes

The manner in which 14 children and youths died while receiving government intervention remains undetermined, according to a recent provincial report.

In its 2016-17 annual report, the Children’s Services department reported 26 young people died while receiving services. Eight of those were in care while 16 were not in care, but were receiving services.

Two of the youths were over 18, but were still receiving support.

The manner of death for 14 young people has yet to be determined by the chief medical examiner, the report said.

Three deaths were accidental, one was determined to be medical, and two were suicides.

The report states that the remaining six children died in hospital and that the attending physicians determined the cause of death was natural, hence a review by a medical examiner was not required.

The report gives no information about the specific causes of death.

Alberta child and youth advocate Del Graff said he hopes the Children’s Services ministry will adopt a more robust internal review process, as well as pay more heed to external recommendations, including those made by his office.

“If we want to find ways to prevent child deaths, we’ve got to review the circumstances of those deaths and try to learn from it for future prevention,” Graff said.

Graff couldn’t say how the information compares to other years because his office tracks deaths differently, and is notified not only about deaths of children currently receiving services, but also those who had interactions with the intervention system at any point in the two years prior to their death.

But Graff said in looking to the future, he’s hopeful about the changes proposed by a legislative child intervention panel struck after details of a young Indigenous girl’s death was revealed by the Edmonton Journal.

Four-year-old Serenity was in government care when she died in 2014, weighing just 18 pounds and arriving at hospital with severe injuries that included a fractured skull and a body covered in bruises. The report also identified 13 “serious” but non-fatal injuries.

The report tracked data from April 1, 2016, to March 31, 2017.