Keeping Children and Youth Safe from Harm in New Brunswick: A Five Year Strategy by New Brunswickers November 2015 Cover page picture: Children’s rights awareness project, La Maison des jeunes L’acAdo inc, Fredericton Summer Camp. Keeping Children and Youth Safe from Harm in New Brunswick: A Five Year Strategy by New Brunswickers Published by: Province of New Brunswick P.O. Box 6000 Fredericton, New Brunswick Printed in New Brunswick ISBN 978-1-4605-1180-0 (print) ISBN 978-1-4605-1181-7 (PDF) Table of Contents A Message from Premier Brian Gallant .............................................................................................................. 5 A Message from the Co-Chairs of the Provincial Strategy for the Prevention of Harm for Children and Youth ........... 6 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................. 7 A Child’s Right to Live Free from Harm .......................................................................................................... 7 How this Strategy came about ....................................................................................................................... 8 Structure and Mandate ............................................................................................................................... 10 Process and Methodology ........................................................................................................................... 10 Why Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Matter: Building Resilience and Preventing Harm ................................... 11 THE STRATEGY FOR THE PREVENTION OF HARM FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH IN NEW BRUNSWICK ....... 13 GUIDING PRINCIPLES .................................................................................................................................. 14 Youth Engagement .................................................................................................................................... 14 Coordinated Approach ................................................................................................................................ 15 Sociocultural Harm ......................................................................................................................................... 17 Sociocultural Harm in New Brunswick .......................................................................................................... 17 Objective ................................................................................................................................................... 19 Strategy .................................................................................................................................................... 20 Neglect ......................................................................................................................................................... 22 Neglect in New Brunswick ........................................................................................................................... 22 Objective ................................................................................................................................................... 23 Strategy .................................................................................................................................................... 24 Physical Harm .............................................................................................................................................. 26 Physical Harm in New Brunswick ................................................................................................................. 26 Objective ................................................................................................................................................... 27 Strategy .................................................................................................................................................... 28 Sexual Harm .................................................................................................................................................. 30 Sexual Harm in New Brunswick ................................................................................................................... 30 Objective ................................................................................................................................................... 31 Strategy .................................................................................................................................................... 32 Emotional Harm ............................................................................................................................................. 34 Emotional Harm in New Brunswick .............................................................................................................. 34 3 Objective ................................................................................................................................................... 36 Strategy .................................................................................................................................................... 37 IMPLEMENTING THE STRATEGY .................................................................................................................. 38 Immediate next steps ................................................................................................................................. 38 Governance and sustainability ..................................................................................................................... 39 Monitoring and Evaluation ........................................................................................................................... 39 A Renewable Five Year Plan ....................................................................................................................... 39 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................................... 40 Appendix A .................................................................................................................................................... 42 Table of strategic actions ............................................................................................................................ 42 Appendix B .................................................................................................................................................... 53 Alignment (list of other Strategies) ............................................................................................................... 53 Appendix C.................................................................................................................................................... 53 Convention on the Rights of the Child .......................................................................................................... 53 Appendix D.................................................................................................................................................... 69 Members of the Roundtable ........................................................................................................................ 69 Appendix E: ................................................................................................................................................... 71 Committees ............................................................................................................................................... 71 Appendix F .................................................................................................................................................... 72 List of Consultations ................................................................................................................................... 72 4 A Message from the Co-Chairs of the Provincial Strategy for the Prevention of Harm for Children and Youth When Canada signed and ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in December 1991, we vocalized our commitment to the children and young people of our nation; we promised them that we would take all of the necessary steps toward building a country that was fit for all of us. The Provincial Strategy for the Prevention of Harm for Children and Youth is an opportunity for all New Brunswickers to make good on our commitment to children’s rights. Throughout its development, we have learned the true essence of collaboration, and the real meaning behind the right of the child to participate authentically in the matters that affect them. During this process, young people, NGOs, youth-serving organizations, academics, community members and government departments have all come together as one to create this Coordinating Framework, and to build a better and brighter future for everyone in our province. We have been honoured and proud to share in this together, along with all of the other stakeholders at the table. But more than that, we have been motivated to continue to work together in the interests of New Brunswick children, and look forward to continuing our collaboration to fully realize all of the rights enshrined under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, for all