Northwest Territories’ child and family services falling short in protecting and supporting vulnerable children
Child and Family Services in the Northwest Territories
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- Topics:
- Health
- Indigenous Affairs
- Report type
- Northern legislative assemblies reports
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At a glance
Overall, the Department of Health and Social Services and the 3 health and social services authorities in the Northwest Territories did not do enough to protect and support the well‑being of at‑risk children and their families. We found serious shortcomings in key child protection services, from slow responses to reports of suspected maltreatment to failing to meet most minimum contact requirements with children and their families.
When there are allegations that a child is being maltreated, the health and social services authorities are required to assess the situation within 24 hours to determine risks to the child and whether action is needed, such as further investigation. The health and social services authorities failed to complete this screening assessment within the required timeline in 33% of the reports we reviewed. In addition, when an allegation was flagged as needing further investigation, the health and social services authorities did not complete the investigation within the required 30 days in 71% of the reports examined.
For children receiving protection services, the health and social services authorities did not consistently contact them at least once a month, as required. There were also shortcomings in the screening and oversight of foster homes. For example, criminal record checks were either not completed or not updated for all adults and caregivers in 12% of the foster homes we examined.
We found that the health and social services authorities did not consistently meet the standards in place to support the delivery of culturally safe services for Indigenous children. For example, most children did not have a cultural support plan that identified opportunities to strengthen and maintain their connection to their cultural background. This finding is important because almost all children receiving protection services in the territory identified as Indigenous.
We found that average vacancy rates for front‑line child and family services workers ranged from 14% to 34% across the 3 health and social services authorities. Caseloads were also high, and training was delayed. In addition, the department did not complete a comprehensive assessment of the financial and human resources needed to deliver child and family services in the territory.
Some of our findings remain unresolved from audits conducted in 2014 and 2018. It is critical that the Northwest Territories’ Department of Health and Social Services and the 3 health and social services authorities act urgently to strengthen child and family services and support the well‑being of at‑risk children and their families.
Key facts and findings
- The health and social services authorities received about 1,500 reports of suspected maltreatment in each of the past 3 years, according to Child and Family Services annual reports.
- According to the department’s 2024–2025 Annual Report of the Director of Child and Family Services, 98% of the children receiving child and family services in the Northwest Territories identified as Indigenous, despite representing 58% of the overall child population in the territory.
- A lack of standards for reimbursing foster care costs led to inconsistencies across regions and health and social services authorities, creating a potential for real or perceived unfairness and favouritism.
- While the department set a goal of 11 active cases per child protection worker, on average 75% of all child protection workers had more than 11 active cases.
Why we did this audit
- Children receiving child protection services are among the most vulnerable people in society. They rely on the government to meet its statutory responsibilities to protect their safety and well‑being.
- When children require urgent help, their well‑being and safety could be compromised if the required steps to protect them are not completed in a timely manner.
- Culturally safe approaches help ensure services are respectful and responsive to Indigenous children and families.
Highlights of our recommendations
- The Department of Health and Social Services and the health and social services authorities should track and analyze compliance with key requirements of the Child and Family Services Act, its standards, and procedures and use this analysis to make improvements, including implementing targeted training for staff to address non‑compliance.
- The Department of Health and Social Services and the health and social services authorities should establish standards and procedures for the care of children living in a group setting and review existing arrangements to ensure compliance.
Please see the full report to read our complete findings, analysis, recommendations and the audited organizations’ responses.
Exhibit Highlights
Exhibit 1—Communities served by the 3 health and social services authorities
Text version
Exhibit 1—Communities served by the 3 health and social services authorities
This map shows the areas in the Northwest Territories served by the 3 health and social services authorities: the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority, the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority, and the Tlicho Community Services Agency.
The Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority serves most of the territory, except for 2 areas to the northwest and to the south of Yellowknife.
The Hay River Health and Social Services Authority serves the area south of Yellowknife along the border between the Northwest Territories and Alberta. This health and social services authority serves the smallest area of the territory.
The Tlicho Community Services Agency serves an area in the central part of the territory roughly from northwest of Yellowknife to the border with Nunavut.
Source: Based on documentation from the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority
Exhibit 2—The health and social services authorities often did not assess reports of suspected maltreatment or complete investigations within the required time frames
Text version
Exhibit 2—The health and social services authorities often did not assess reports of suspected maltreatment or complete investigations within the required time frames
This illustration shows the process for 49 reports of suspected maltreatment and compares the time frame requirements with the results of the audit. In short, the time frame requirements for assessments and for investigations were not met.
Reports of suspected maltreatment must be assessed within 24 hours to determine safety risk and response. For the 49 reports that were reviewed in the audit, 33% were not assessed within 24 hours. It took an average of 16 days for assessments to be completed.
Based on the initial assessment,
- 12 reports were screened out
- 6 reports were screened in for non‑investigatory responses. These are responses to reports where no abuse or neglect is present, but support services may be offered to the family.
- 31 reports were screened in for investigation
Investigations must be completed within 30 days. Of the 31 reports that were screened in for investigation, 71% of the investigations were not completed in 30 days.
Source: Based on the Northwest Territories Child and Family Services Standards and Procedures Manual and data from the health and social services authorities’ files
Exhibit 3—The health and social services authorities did not maintain monthly contact with children in the territory most of the time as required by their own minimum contact standards
| Child protection workers are required to have at least 1 contact1 every month with the: | Average frequency of contact in files reviewed | Percentage of files reviewed that did not meet contact requirements |
| Child | Every 2 months | 91% |
| Parents or caregivers | Every 1.3 months | 78% |
| Foster parents | Every 1.8 months | 91% |
1 Contact can be by telephone, by electronic message, or in person.
Source: Based on information from the 3 health and social services authorities
Exhibit 4—Many requirements to support a child’s cultural and family connections were not met
Text version
Exhibit 4—Many requirements to support a child’s cultural and family connections were not met
This bar chart shows the percentage of files that did not meet each of the 3 requirements for supporting a child’s cultural and family connections: genograms, cultural support plans, and long‑term plans.
- A genogram maps out the child’s family structures for at least 3 generations.
- A cultural support plan details the child’s cultural background and identifies opportunities to strengthen and maintain their connection to it.
- A long‑term plan identifies the child’s long‑term placement plan. A long‑term plan is required only for a child with a permanent custody order.
For genograms, 84% of the files examined did not meet the requirement.
For cultural support plans, 65% of the files examined did not meet the requirement.
For long‑term plans, 33% of the files examined did not meet the requirement.
Source: Based on information from the 3 health and social services authorities