Canadian Child and Youth Advocates

285 Pages·2017·1.11 MB·English

Canadian Child and Youth Advocates: A comparative analysis
by
Mary Theresa Hunter
B.A., University of Winnipeg, 1987
M.A., University of California, 1992
A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
in the School of Public Administration

©Mary Theresa Hunter, 2017
University of Victoria
All rights reserved. This dissertation may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by
photocopy or other means, without the permission of the author.
ii
Supervisory Committee

Canadian Child and Youth Advocates: A comparative analysis
by
Mary Theresa Hunter
B.A., University of Winnipeg, 1987
M.A., University of California, Santa Barbara 1992

Supervisory Committee
Dr. James C. McDavid, Supervisor
School of Public Administration
Dr. Lynda Gagné, Departmental Member
School of Public Administration
Dr. Michael J. Prince, Outside Member
Faculty of Human and Social Development
Dr. Leslie Foster, Outside Member
School of Child and Youth Care
iii
Abstract
The purpose of this dissertation is to compare features of eleven Canadian provincial /
territorial Child and Youth Advocates (CYAs) and identify factors that contribute to their
success at influencing changes to public policies, practices and laws to improve services and
programs for children and youth. This exploratory study compares and provides explanations
regarding the CYAs’ evolution, institutional designs, legislated mandates, implementation,
expectations and accountability structures. This study is based on reviews of publicly
available documents and interviews with CYA key contacts, members of their legislative
oversight committees and informed experts.
The CYAs are statutory officers who assist their legislatures in protecting children’s
rights and holding governments to account. They also provide a valuable source of
information and advice for decision-makers and government agencies. Each CYA is uniquely
designed to serve the needs and interests of their jurisdictions. They have overlapping
functions and use some common approaches to systemic advocacy aimed at laying the
groundwork for change. This study identifies several factors that contribute to the CYAs’
success at influencing systemic change.
Comprehensive legislation and adequate resources enable some CYAs to undertake a
full range of systemic advocacy functions. Raising awareness helps to build a common
understanding of children’s rights and promotes a collective will for change to better serve
their needs and interests. Effective use of the media is a powerful tool for raising awareness
about the CYAs’ systemic concerns and recommended changes and for putting pressure on
governments to take action. Educating and providing guidance to the media aids in
controlling messages that are reported. Elevating the views and interests of young people who
have direct experience with government systems is an effective strategy used by some CYAs
to influence systemic change and increase the participation of young people in public
iv
decision-making. Building positive relationships with government agencies promotes greater
cooperation with CYAs’ advice. The use of strategic plans for systemic advocacy may aid the
CYAs to clarify their goals, objectives and performance measures and to monitor changes
over time.
v
Table of Contents
Supervisory Committee .................................................................................................................. ii 
Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... iii 
Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................ v 
List of Tables ................................................................................................................................. ix 
List of Abbreviations ...................................................................................................................... x 
Acknowledgments......................................................................................................................... xii 
Chapter 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 
Chapter 2. Literature Review ........................................................................................................ 10 
Historical and International Contexts of NHRIs ................................................................. 10 
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child ....................................................... 11 
Normative Standards. .................................................................................................. 12 
NHRIs are statutory officers ................................................................................................ 13 
Diffusion of NHRIs ............................................................................................................. 16 
Human Rights Institutions for Children (HRICs) ............................................................... 19 
Canadian Context ................................................................................................................ 21 
Research on the Roles and Impacts of NHRIs .................................................................... 25 
Research and Evaluation of HRICs ..................................................................................... 28 
Studies of the Canadian Child and Youth Advocates ......................................................... 31 
UNICEF Global Study of HIRCs ........................................................................................ 32 
Discussion ........................................................................................................................... 34 
Chapter 3. Methodology ............................................................................................................... 35 
Research Design .................................................................................................................. 35 
Sampling and Data Sources ................................................................................................. 35 
Ethics ................................................................................................................................... 35 
Methods ............................................................................................................................... 36 
Instrumentation .................................................................................................................... 36 
Data Collection .................................................................................................................... 36 
Data Analysis....................................................................................................................... 38 
Discussion ........................................................................................................................... 39 
Chapter 4. Origins and Evolution of the Child and Youth Advocates .......................................... 41 
Early adopters ...................................................................................................................... 42 
Evolution of the Child and Youth Advocates...................................................................... 44 
Ontario Office of the Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth. .......................... 44
vi
Alberta Office of the Child and Youth Advocate. ....................................................... 44 
British Columbia Representative for Children and Youth. ......................................... 46 
Manitoba Office of the Children’s Advocate. ............................................................. 48 
Saskatchewan Children’s Advocate Office. ................................................................ 49 
Québec Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse................ 52 
Nova Scotia Office of the Ombudsman, Youth Services. ........................................... 52 
Newfoundland and Labrador Office of the Child and Youth Advocate. .................... 53 
New Brunswick Child and Youth Advocate. .............................................................. 55 
Yukon Child and Youth Advocate. ............................................................................. 56 
Nunavut Representative for Children and Youth. ....................................................... 57 
Institutional models ............................................................................................................. 58 
Populations served ............................................................................................................... 58 
Organisational structures ..................................................................................................... 60 
Leadership ........................................................................................................................... 63 
Budgets, staffing and population estimates ......................................................................... 64 
Convention on the Rights of the Child ................................................................................ 66 
Canadian Council of Child and Youth Advocates .............................................................. 68 
Discussion ........................................................................................................................... 69 
Chapter 5. Systemic Advocacy Functions .................................................................................... 72 
Definitions and goals ........................................................................................................... 72 
Legislated systemic advocacy functions ............................................................................. 74 
Implementation of systemic advocacy ................................................................................ 77 
Raise awareness / educate the public about children’s rights. .................................... 80 
Collaborate / build alliances. ....................................................................................... 82 
Systemic reviews and investigations. .......................................................................... 84 
Child deaths / critical injuries reviews / investigations. .............................................. 87 
Research. ..................................................................................................................... 94 
Youth engagement / elevating the voices of youth. .................................................... 97 
Information and advice to government. .................................................................... 101 
Monitor implementation of recommendations. ......................................................... 105 
Relationships with government. ................................................................................ 107 
Relationship with the media. ..................................................................................... 115 
Advocacy for Indigenous children, youth and families. ........................................... 119 
Advocacy for other specific populations. .................................................................. 126 
Advocacy for broader systemic changes. .................................................................. 127
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Child Rights Impact Assessments (CRIA). ............................................................... 129 
Discussion ......................................................................................................................... 131 
Chapter 6. Performance and Accountability ............................................................................... 134 
Reporting relationships ...................................................................................................... 134 
Reports ............................................................................................................................... 139 
Annual reports. .......................................................................................................... 139 
Service plans. ............................................................................................................. 140 
Special reports. .......................................................................................................... 140 
Child death and critical injury reports. ...................................................................... 141 
Monitoring reports. .................................................................................................... 141 
Media releases. .......................................................................................................... 142 
Other reports. ............................................................................................................. 142 
Expectations ...................................................................................................................... 145 
Raise public awareness. ............................................................................................. 145 
Build alliances / collaboration. .................................................................................. 145 
Elevate the voices of children and youth. .................................................................. 146 
Raise government awareness. .................................................................................... 147 
Hold government to account. .................................................................................... 148 
Government responsiveness. ..................................................................................... 149 
Approach to systemic advocacy. ............................................................................... 149 
Meeting expectations ......................................................................................................... 150 
Performance Measures ...................................................................................................... 153 
Assets ................................................................................................................................. 156 
Obstacles ........................................................................................................................... 159 
Accomplishments .............................................................................................................. 165 
Unintended consequences ................................................................................................. 166 
Politics ............................................................................................................................... 170 
Strategic plan for systemic advocacy ................................................................................ 173 
Discussion ......................................................................................................................... 174 
Chapter 7. Conclusions and Implications ................................................................................... 180 
Implications for best practice ............................................................................................ 189 
Implications for future research......................................................................................... 190 
References ................................................................................................................................... 192 
Appendices .................................................................................................................................. 232
viii
Appendix A: 54 Articles and two Optional Protocols of the United Nations Convention
on the Rights of the Child .................................................................................................. 232 
Appendix B: United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child guidelines (2002) ... 233 
Appendix C: United Nations General Assembly’s Principles Relating to the Status of
National Institutions (Paris Principles) (UN Centre for Human Rights, 1993) ................. 238 
Appendix D: Recruitment letters for CYA key contacts, oversight committee members
and informed experts ......................................................................................................... 242 
Appendix E: Generic Interview questions ......................................................................... 243 
Appendix F: Brief biographies of the Child and Youth Advocates (2015-16) ................. 246 
Appendix G: CYAs’ definitions and goals for systemic advocacy ................................... 250 
Appendix H: Legislated authority to raise awareness and educate the public .................. 254 
Appendix I: Legislated authority to do child death / critical injury reviews /
investigations ..................................................................................................................... 256 
Appendix J: Legislated authority to provide information and advice to government ....... 266 
Appendix K: Legislated authority to monitor implementation of CYA’s
recommendations ............................................................................................................... 269 
Appendix L: Details regarding CYAs’ annual reports and budgets .................................. 272
ix
List of Tables
Table 1: Origins of the Provincial and Territorial Child and Youth Advocates ...................... 43 
Table 2: Populations served by the CYAs ............................................................................... 60 
Table 3: CYAs organisational structures (2015-16) ................................................................ 61 
Table 4: CYA budgets, staffing and population estimates (2015) ........................................... 65 
Table 5: CYAs’ legislated systemic advocacy functions (Oct 2016) ...................................... 77 
Table 6: CYAs’ implementation of systemic advocacy functions........................................... 79 
Table 7: Accountability relationships .................................................................................... 138 
Table 8: Types of reports available on the CYAs’ websites .................................................. 143
x
List of Abbreviations
AB Alberta
ACY Advocate for Children and Youth
BC British Columbia
CBC Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
CCCYA Canadian Council of Child and Youth Advocates
CCPCYA Canadian Council of Provincial Child and Youth Advocates
CFS Child and Family Services
CDPDJ Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse
CRIA Child rights impact assessment
CRC Convention on the Rights of the Child
CYA Child and Youth Advocate
ENOC European Network of Ombudspersons for Children
EU European Union
HRIC Human rights institution for children
ICHRP International Council on Human Rights Policy
KPI Key performance indicator
LRCY Legal Representation for Children and Youth (AB)
MB Manitoba
MLA Member of the Legislative Assembly
MOU Memorandum of Understanding
NB New Brunswick
NDP New Democratic Party
NGO Non-governmental organisation
NHRI National human rights institution
NL Newfoundland and Labrador
NS Nova Scotia
NU Nunavut
OCA Office of the Children’s Advocate
OCYA Office of the Child and Youth Advocate
OIC Order in Council
OMB Ombudsman
ON Ontario
OPACY Office of the Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth