If you live in New Brunswick, you expect the social safety net to catch the most vulnerable. A homeless teenager asked the New Brunswick Department of Social Development for addiction treatment following an overdose. The department turned him away. Months later, he died from a second overdose.
Kelly Lamrock, the child and youth advocate for the province, released a new report detailing this tragic reality. According to a CBC News report, the youth sought help through the Youth Engagement Services program. This program exists to provide health, housing, and education support to youth aged 16 to 18 who cannot live safely with a parent.
Because the teenager was homeless and his mother was unreachable, department notes reveal a social worker denied him help. The stated reason was an inability to assess his home environment.
Bureaucratic Barriers Leave Youth at Risk
This is not an isolated incident. The report highlights a pattern of vulnerable young people facing unclear and lengthy processes to access government support.
In one case, the department told a pregnant youth living in a shelter she needed to remain homeless for three months before she could apply for support.
In another situation, a mother moved to a different province and left her teenage daughter behind. The department denied the youth support to live independently and suggested she leave New Brunswick as well. This decision came even though the mother lived with someone facing sexual assault charges involving a family member.
The Last Chance for Help
Youth aged 16 and older can refuse child protection services. Lamrock stresses this refusal does not mean they no longer need help from Social Development.
“It really does represent, sometimes, our last chance to help these kids turn their lives around,” Lamrock said. “We’ve got to find reasons to get them into the program, not look for bureaucratic excuses to turn them away.”
Lamrock noted social workers often close youth files too quickly. He cited a teenager living with an abusive partner in their 30s. When the teen asked for help, the department offered a shelter several hours away. The teen declined the distant shelter, and the department closed the file citing a refusal of services.
Youth also face wait periods lasting months just to get an assessment, even in crisis situations. The department does not treat homelessness as an urgent factor in these applications.
Government Acknowledges System Flaws
Social Development Minister Cindy Miles responded to the report and stated staff do their best within a system lacking a trauma informed design.
“Reports like these from the advocate are difficult to read, but they are necessary,” Miles said. “They bring focus to issues that, for too long, did not receive the attention they deserved.”
Miles noted the Youth Engagement Services program recently expanded to serve youth up to age 26 and currently supports 550 individuals. She emphasized the need to stop forcing vulnerable young people to convince adults they deserve support.
Lamrock wants the government to hire an independent reviewer to examine the program criteria, improve how it tracks applications, and hold a legislative committee to hear testimony on these issues. If you or someone you know relies on these social safety nets, staying informed about these proposed changes is crucial for your community.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Youth Engagement Services program?
The Youth Engagement Services program provides health, housing, education, and other support to New Brunswick youth who cannot live safely with a parent.
Why did the department deny the homeless teen help?
Department notes indicate a social worker denied the teen help because they could not assess his home environment since he was homeless at the time.
What changes is the child and youth advocate recommending?
Kelly Lamrock recommends an independent review of the program criteria, better tracking of applications and refusals, and a legislative committee hearing to address the systemic issues.
IT IS RIDICULOUS THAT YOUNG PEOPLE, OR PEOPLE OF ANY AGE, ASKING FOR HELP ARE TURNED AWAY FOR SUCH STUPID REASONS. A TEEN ASKING FOR HELP BECAUSE OF AN ABUSIVE HOME LIFE IS TURNED AWAY BECAUSE THEY COULDN’T GET HOLD OF THE PARENT!!! IF YOU CAN’T GET HOLD OF THE PARENT ISN’T THAT ENOUGH TO KNOW THAT THE CHILD NEEDS HELP!!! YEARS AGO THE PEOPLE IN POSITIONS TO HELP ACTUALLY WANTED TO HELP, IT WASN’T JUST A JOB TO THEM! NOW YOU CAN FIND A FEW PEOPLE THAT REALLY WANT TO HELP AND WILL DO ANYTHING TO DO SO BUT THEY ARE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN!!
WE NEED MORE PEOPLE THINKING ABOUT THE PEOPLE THAT ARE IN NEED AND NOT HAVING TO WORRY ABOUT RULES AND REGULATIONS THAT HAVE TO BE FOLLOWED OR THEY WILL LOSE THEIR JOBS! A SOCIAL WORKER CAN’T EVEN GIVE YOU A LIFT TO GET SOME GROCERIES BECAUSE IT IS NOT ALLOWED! THE WAY I LOOK AT IT, HELP IS HELP, WHETHER IT IS TALKING OR ACTUALLY DOING SOMETHING TO HELP. WE HAVE TOO MANY RULES WHERE THEY ARE NOT NEEDED AND TOO FEW WHERE THEY ARE!!!
There are no words for tragedies like this. These are young people falling between the cracks because of ridiculous procedural practices. These are someone’s children, grandchildren, and to suggest that a young lady go and live with a sex offender in another province instead of giving help here…..my heart hurts!