NEW ACT WORRIES YOUTH TREATMENT CENTRE

Gov't Denies New Law Will Restrict Access To Live-In Treatment

EDMONTON - An Edmonton-area group home says changes to the Child
Welfare Act will prevent some kids from getting the around-the-clock
care they need.

On Nov. 1, the Child Welfare Act will be replaced by the Child, Youth
and Family Enhancement Act.

The new act changes the definitions of neglect and protection and adds
greater access to adoption records, among other things.

But the removal of one clause from the old act will adversely affect
some children who need government-funded access to residential
treatment centres, said Gus Rozycki, executive director of Bosco Homes
Treatment Centre near Ardrossan.

A government spokesman, however, said children will still get the care
they need.

The new legislation calls for authorities to intervene in cases where
children are exposed to domestic abuse, verbal abuse, or alcohol and
drug abuse.

But it does not include a clause from the old bill that allowed for
intervention when "the condition or behaviour of a child prevents the
guardian from providing the child with adequate care appropriate to
meet the child's needs."

Rozycki said this clause should have been part of the new legislation.
It would have helped children with mental illness or substance abuse
problems -- but living in functional homes -- get access to live-in
treatment facilities, he said.

Nearly 30 per cent of the children at Bosco are brought in by
frustrated relatives or guardians who lack the skills to care for a
child with behavioural problems.

Rozycki said young people with addictions often need to be removed
from their regular environments, where they may find triggers and
temptations to take drugs or use alcohol.

Jeremy Fritsche, a spokesman for Alberta Children's Services, said
children who need 24-hour care outside of their homes will still be
accommodated under the new act.

"I think it's unfortunate (Bosco) pulled out that one clause and
(didn't look) at the whole act," Fritsche said.

He said the definition of neglect has been expanded in the new act to
include parents or guardians who are unable or unwilling to provide
the necessities of life, provide adequate medical services or provide
adequate care or supervision.

Families who can't care for children with behavioural problems will be
able to seek an assessment and get the necessary help, he said.

The government will continue to pay for children to seek treatment at
Bosco Homes and other institutions, he said.

Rozycki said he is concerned about how the new act will be interpreted
because residential care is expensive.

It costs between $275 and $305 a day for each child to live at the
ranch. At least 30 per cent of the kids that Child and Family Services
sends to the treatment centre arrive with drug or alcohol addictions,
he said.

Last fall, Bosco started a new, intensive drug-treatment program
called ADAPT, which gives young people a regimented life away from the
city.

The program includes alcohol- and drug-abuse education and a 12-step
treatment program.

Most Bosco kids attend a specialized school on site. They live in
cabins with other young people with similar problems, such as mental
illness, fetal alcohol syndrome or drug addiction.

Rozycki said he believes live-in treatment is more successful than
outpatient treatment for young people with substance addictions.

"Outpatient programs work well for people with the ability to exercise
willpower, people who are in a position to make a rational decision,"
he said. "Frequently, people who are addicted are not in that category."

He said he is prevented by law from tracking young people after they
have left their treatment at Bosco, so he doesn't know the success
rate of the live-in program.

And privacy laws prevent youth in treatment from being publicly
identified.

"We can't say 'Here's Johnny. He used to be a real drug addict and now
he's cured,' " Rozycki said.

"We can't trumpet our successes."