Child Youth Advocate - Purpose?

Liberal Leader Yvonne Jones: 'If we can't depend upon the child advocates office to go forward and represent these children that are not getting the proper care, then who can we depend upon?'

Yvonne Jones said, "Child and Youth Advocate Darlene Neville, whose office is funded by the provincial government, should be calling for a mentally ill teenage girl to be removed from an adult ward at the Waterford Hospital in St. John's."

In December, a nursing shortage prompted officials to move two adolescents who were being treated at the Janeway Children's Health and Rehabilitation Centre to the Waterford Hospital. Without any doubt and hindsight this was an immoral move, especially since these children who suffer from depression were handcuffed like criminals and transported from the Janeway to the Waterford by the RNC.

Jones said, "If we can't depend upon the child advocates office to go forward and represent these children that are not getting the proper care, then who can we depend upon? And I think there needs to be some changes made in that office if this kind of representation is going to continue."

Neville said, "that she has no authority to compel Eastern Health or any officials to "admit, treat, transfer or discharge any patient."

As a writer I would like to First say thank you to Yvonne Jones for keeping this issue out there in the public. It is my understanding that the Child and Youth Advocate is doing an investigation into the Mental Health Service for youth in province. Hopefully this investigation will include some input from the families of the children affected.

The Child and Youth Advocate office is a complete waste of resources and the division of Child Youth and Family Services is not much better. Approximately. 4 years ago an associate began dealing with these entities concerning an issue whereby her ex-spouse was attempting to alienate and intimidate her children into not having a relationship with her.

Neither of the organizations mentioned above would listen to her concerns , in fact , Unified Family Court refused to listen to her concerns ... this coming March will mark the 3 year anniversary of not having any contact with or any knowledge concerning the life of her children. This lady have not had any contact or information provided to her in the last 3 years ... as entities entrusted with the lives of children, you have no reason to be proud ..you have failed her children horribly.

The position of Youth Advocate is all show, government sanctioned and paid for. She has no power, and she's finally admitted it. Yet I've seen her interviewed many times before regarding the Shirley Turner case and the failure of the "system" and other topics regarding youth. But she won't touch this case with a ten foot pole, at least to speak of it publicly.

Why won't the otherwise opinionated Ms Neville comment now? Well maybe Fraser Marche's day in court will shed some light on that! Let's be honest, these advocates are billed as independent, free speech watchdogs. But wait, that's on paper, that's the story fed to those concerned. The very likely reality is opposite, and like many other directives, this one is heavily monitored and guided, all Neville has become is a puppet, with Wisemans hand up her ass to control her mouth strings.

I would like to know what she does everyday to earn her paycheck? How is the youth of this province better off today because of her? These are some of the questions I would like the premier's office to answer. It's about time the public sees what it's getting for the bucks spent.

Brudder