Youth advocates call for halt to aging out of foster care
Ontario leads way in issuing moratorium; NDP want Saskatchewan to follow suit
Youth living in foster care in Saskatchewan already face challenges upon “aging out,” a situation advocates say has only been exacerbated by the COVID -19 pandemic.
The Saskatchewan Youth in Care and Custody Network (SYICCN) is calling for a moratorium on youth aging out of care for one year.
In a letter sent to the Ministry of Social Services and an online petition, the organization is calling on the province to implement a policy that would allow youth to remain in their current care agreements.
Precautions around COVID-19 have made finding secure housing and employment more difficult and have led to a greater interruption to support for an already vulnerable population, said SYICCN provincial outreach coordinator Richard Rothenburger.
“These are uncertain times and we have to change the way we’re doing everything,” Rothenburger said. “Unfortunately, the youth in care and custody population we believe are being overlooked.
“With all the craziness going on, that conversation isn’t happening at the level that we would like it to happen.”
The organization also wants a network of supports provided to those who have aged out and those being released from youth custody.
Joel Kilbride, executive director of child and family services, said in a statement Friday that the Ministry of Social Services is reviewing the SYICCN’S request to delay aging out of care “to see what options may be available due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“We are working hard to ensure that all children and youth in care, their caregivers and our community partners have the supports they need to stay safe during this time,” Kilbride said.
On Thursday, Ontario became the first province to issue a moratorium on aging out of care; the province had at first refused to commit, then confirmed to APTN
News a few hours later that a regulation had been officially filed.
Saskatchewan NDP Leader Ryan Meili said the Ontario action was promising and he wants Saskatchewan to follow suit. The call opens a broader conversation about how to better serve those populations during non-pandemic times, Meili said.
“Let’s do it here; let’s not have anybody age out during the period of the pandemic,” he said. “Let’s also take this opportunity to have a good look at how we work with people who are aging out.”