Advocate demands proof of new child welfare spending from government

Savannah Awde · CBC News

· Posted: May 01, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 12 minutes ago

New Brunswick's kid and younker watchdog volition necessitate authorities to study quarterly connected whether caller backing for kid payment is being spent arsenic promised.

This comes a week after Kelly Lamrock said the fund for the upcoming twelvemonth would beryllium "devastating" to children and younker successful the province's care.

"I person advised the Department of Social Development that we volition beryllium exercising the advocate's powers nether the Child, Youth and Senior Advocate Act to necessitate quarterly reporting connected the prevention and involution measures contained successful the Child and Youth Well-Being Act, including integrated services," Lamrock said successful a connection Wednesday. 

"The curate has acceptable the people of ensuring that the $17.2 cardinal successful announced wealth is genuinely spent connected caller services, and truthful we should spot conscionable implicit $4 cardinal much per 4th being invested successful these services. We volition show and counsel the legislative assembly if this is the case."

Lamrock said helium chose to workout that authorization aft proceeding concerns from the assemblage and front-line workers about the department's kid payment budget.

His office reported past week that the section volition have $47.1 cardinal less to walk this twelvemonth connected kid payment services.

That's because this year's fund is $23.5 cardinal little than what the section really spent past twelvemonth — while the section has besides promised $23.6 cardinal for caller additions to wages and services.

Lamrock said the curate has advised $17.2 cardinal of that second full volition beryllium enactment to kid and younker services, including aboriginal interventions. 

Minister of Social Development Cindy Miles has disputed that the budget was cut, arsenic this year's fund estimate — while little than past year's existent spending — is greater than past year's fund estimate. 

"That was past year, and we consciousness that we tin present the supports and services that young folks request with what we've budgeted," Miles said. 

"Redirecting funds to get the champion interaction and to champion enactment young folks is what this fund is about."

Miles didn't specify from wherever that backing would beryllium re-directed.

CBC requested remark from Miles but did not person a effect Wednesday.

In the statement, Lamrock noted section officials tin look obstruction charges if "misleading answers" are fixed nether questioning from the advocate's office.

"In that forum, section officials did not contention the findings of our study and reported that determination was nary grounds to enactment a simplification successful request erstwhile the fund was made," Lamrock said. 

"The information that I americium skeptical that the caller wealth tin beryllium provided, and the simplification targets met, does not pre-empt authorities trying caller things."

Lamrock said he hopes the minister's evaluation — that the fund simplification won't pb to work cuts — is correct. 

"I admit the mathematics seems daunting to me," helium said successful an interview.

"I'm not definite however they're going to, but ... let's crook connected the scoreboard and play the game. They accidental they tin bash this. I'm conscionable present to support people and marque definite they truly do."