WATCH ABOVE: A new report released today finds that vulnerable children in B.C. start life behind their peers and stay behind and not enough is being done to change that. BC’s children and youth representative Mary Ellen Turpel Lafond joins Global News to discuss more.
VICTORIA – A report from B.C.’s children’s representative and the provincial health officer says vulnerable children in the province start life behind their peers and stay behind.
The Growing Up in B.C. report by Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond and Dr. Perry Kendall says life for vulnerable children, including those in government care and aboriginal children and youth, remains challenging.
Turpel-Lafond says serious gaps in children’s well-being remain, including that almost 60 per cent of youth in care don’t graduate from high school.
Although she also says the report identifies some positive trends, such as declines in teen pregnancy rates and more aboriginal children graduating from high school.
Both Kendall and Turpel-Lafond say they have concerns about the lack of information around children’s welfare because neither the province nor the federal government keep a reliable data bank of information.
More than 200 youth from across B.C. were consulted for the report.
- Joffre Lakes to close for 3 periods this year under agreement with First Nations
- ‘Why aren’t we doing more?’ White Rock on edge with killer on the loose
- B.C. carjacking victim says she doesn’t trust the ‘catch-and-release’ system
- Inquest into fatal Surrey hostage-taking recommends cameras for ERT teams
Comments