Youth advocate calls for better early intervention
Alberta’s child advocate says youth at risk need to be provided help early on in life
A 16-year-old stabbed multiple times is at the centre of the latest report by Alberta’s child advocate.
Dubbed “Dillon” by advocate Del Graff (who uses pseudonyms in all his reports) the teen survived the ordeal, and was able to help Graff’s team understand the circumstances of his life that led to the attack.
Dillon lived his life in and out of foster homes. He’s now a resourceful young man being supported by a youth mentor.
But according to Graff’s latest report, Dillon didn’t get the help or supports he needed early on in life.
“There were quite a number of formal assessments provided to him when young and in early adolescence,” Graff said in an interview.
“There was good information in those assessments that may have helped him along his path, had they been implemented in a coordinated way early in his life, but they weren’t.”
COMPLEX NEEDS
Dillon first came to the attention of child services when he was two, after he was found unsupervised in his community. Soon, reports were made to child services about drinking and violence between Dillon’s mom and her partner.
Dillon was around six when he started threatening other kids, lighting fires and stealing. His mother accepted supports to help her, but she was easily frustrated.
A short time later, his behaviour unchanged, Dillon was apprehended and placed in a group home. A neurodevelopment assessment revealed the little boy had developmental delays and needed speech therapy.
He was returned to his mother’s care under a supervision order, but she told her caseworker she was overwhelmed. Dillon underwent another assessment, and was diagnosed with oppositional defiant disorder.
His mother wanted help, but Dillon couldn’t get into a clinical day program because of his low cognitive abilities. The only other option was a foster home, which his mom refused.
When Dillon was seven, violence in the home led to yet another assessment, and an attention deficit disorder diagnosis. He was referred to a clinic, but a full assessment was delayed because he wasn’t in a stable home.
Dillon and his older sister Karen (also a pseudonym) were apprehended after continuing violence between his mother and her partner, drinking and drug use in the home. With medication, structure and routine, Dillon’s behaviours calmed, and he moved into an education program for kids with cognitive disabilities.
After an issue in the foster home, Dillon and Karen were moved and, for the first time, were living apart. Dillon’s behaviour quickly deteriorated. The next year, with suspected fetal alcohol syndrome, he underwent yet another analysis. Again, he wasn’t eligible for a clinical day program.
At age 15, Dillon ended up in a rural residential treatment centre under permanent care. He was fine at first, but after a few months, his behaviour went downhill and he assaulted a staff member. When he returned, one-on-one supports started to help.
They were working so well, in fact, they were removed completely. Within a month, Dillon’s behaviour escalated again. Within six, he was taking drugs and quit school.
He fled the home, and was arrested for damaging his mom’s house. Later, he was arrested for stabbing a stranger.
Six days before his 17th birthday, he was found with multiple stab wounds and underwent emergency surgery.
EARLY SUPPORTS NEEDED
It was during Dillon’s early years that workers needed to develop a coordinated plan and sustained supports, Graff said.
There was so much information there that could have helped with incremental changes as he grew older, but that never happened.
Graff acknowledges there’s an increased awareness of the need for intervention around brain development in the ministry.
“But there needs to be more of a focus on sustained, early intervention for kids, particularly where information exists as to what to do,” he said.
Children’s Services Minister Danielle Larivee said she agrees with the advocate’s recommendations.
In an email, she said her ministry is taking action to strengthen supports for families and youth with complex needs. It’s also rolling out a Lifelong Connections strategy to help with collaborative, lasting relationships.
Larivee said her government is also working to improve information sharing. She expects new protocols before the end of the year.