Alberta Premier Notley breaks up Human Services, creates children’s ministry

Alberta Premier Rachel Notley (Pictured) shuffled her cabinet Thursday to carve out a new Children’s Services ministry, citing ongoing problems keeping kids safe in government care. (Photo: Rachel Notley/ Facebook)

EDMONTON –Alberta Premier Rachel Notley shuffled her cabinet Thursday to carve out a new Children’s Services ministry, citing ongoing problems keeping kids safe in government care.

“We are making this change so that we can provide a greater focus on and accountability for protecting children,” Notley told reporters after the new ministers were sworn in at a ceremony at Government House.

“There have been structural issues that have prevented our dedicated child-intervention workers and staff from properly doing what they’re trained to do.

“We are increasing our efforts to make sure the broken parts of the system get fixed and that all children are protected, cared for, and supported.”

Children’s services was part of the broad Human Services Department under minister Irfan Sabir.

Danielle Larivee, the municipal affairs minister, was named the new minister for the Children’s Services Department.

“I couldn’t be more eager to get to work to fix the systemic problems we know are there in our child intervention system,” said Larivee.

Sabir will continue to lead the rest of the department, including work on social services files and funding for those with disabilities.

It will be renamed community and social services

It has been a rocky three months for Sabir, who has faced repeated opposition calls for him to be fired over his handling of the death of Serenity, a four year-old girl who died over two years ago in government care.

Notley said the Serenity case helped spur the decision to split up Sabir’s department.

“We knew already as we were dealing with various issues with respect to the ministry that the ministry continued to be large and difficult to manage,” said Notley.

“The Serenity case highlighted that fact for us and there’s no question that it played a role.”

Serenity’s case became the face of ongoing failures of child safety in government care when media reports revealed her plight late last year.

Serenity, born to First Nations Parents, died in kinship care despite previous concerns from her birth mother that she was being maltreated.

Leaked reports to the media revealed that Alberta’s child and youth advocate, who investigated the case, was not told that an emaciated and hypothermic Serenity was taken to hospital in September 2014 with dilated pupils and multiple bruises, including around her pubic area.

She had an extensive brain injury, was put on life support and died soon after.

In the two years following her death, there have been delays and secrecy over her autopsy as well as about police and government investigations.

No one has been charged.

The furor over Serenity’s case prompted an emergency debate in the house and the creation of an all party panel that will soon begin exploring ways to improve the child intervention system.

In late November Notley’s government promised renewed action on Serenity’s case.

But it was later revealed that even after that action was promised, Sabir’s department didn’t follow up getting a report on Serenity’s case to RCMP, resulting in even further delays.

That prompted all opposition leaders to say it was time for Sabir to go.

Opposition Wildrose Leader Brian Jean said Thursday that it’s troubling for Sabir to still be in a leadership role.

“While it’s positive to see the government finally addressing the dysfunction in the Human Services Department, I’m extremely disappointed to see Mr. Sabir continuing in a cabinet role,” said Jean.

“This NDP government still isn’t listening to Albertans who clearly wanted to see this minister removed from cabinet entirely.”

Shaye Anderson, a former backbencher who helped Larivee update new legislation governing municipalities, was sworn in as the new municipal affairs minister.