 |
| Backgrounder(s) & FactSheet(s): | Backgrounder |
|
| Backgrounder(s) & FactSheet(s): | Backgrounder |
VICTORIA – Children and Family Development Minister Stan
Hagen issued the following statement today:
“I am very pleased with this balanced, fair and
thoughtful review presented by Hon. Ted Hughes.
“Together with my colleagues, I will spend the
coming days looking in detail at Mr. Hughes’ recommendations and his plan. We
will move expeditiously, but carefully. He has set out a reasonable timeframe
to act on his recommendations. Where we can act faster, we will.
“Commenting on the review itself, we are pleased
that it is forward looking, constructive and focused on continual improvement
in our protection of children. It is not looking to turn back the clock to an
old system of overlapping mandates and duplication that was not meeting the
best interests of children.
“On balance, the report provides a blueprint that
builds on the fundamental vision, direction and changes government implemented
since 2001 to improve child protection and reporting. He supports the mandate
we gave the Coroner’s Office to review child deaths, and the role of the
ministry in reviewing deaths and injuries of children under its watch.
“Mr. Hughes acknowledges that the ministry has
accomplished a great deal and endorses the resources provided in Budget 2006, as well as our initiatives such as
bringing supports and services closer to communities and keeping families
together.
“His support of initiatives such as the Kelowna
Accord and Aboriginal governance echoes this government’s firm commitment to
improving quality of life for Aboriginal people and fostering a new
relationship with their communities.
“We acknowledge Mr. Hughes’ comments about areas
where the ministry has struggled, and agree that the ministry can do better. We
will do better and we have the resources and dedicated people to follow
through. We will work collaboratively with our partners: this means our
Aboriginal partners, our community partners and our federal partners. This will
not happen overnight, but it will happen.
“We endorse Mr. Hughes’ call for the spirit of
co-operation among legislators to do what’s best for children and youth. Only
by working together will we be able to move forward in their best interests.
“I thank Hon. Ted Hughes and his team as well as the organizations and
individuals who made submissions. I also thank staff within my ministry who
also provided much time and effort in responding to the needs of the review.”
-30-
|
|
||
|
contact: |
Communications Director 250 356-2007 250 361-6313 (cell) |
|
|
|
||
|
For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca. |
||
