Children-youth foundation looks for input into youth protection centre

Nunavut’s children and youth service providers are being asked to share their input on the direction of a new youth protection centre in the territory.

The Arctic Children and Youth Foundation has announced its plans to create something called the Umingmak Child and Youth Protection Centre, which would coordinate and streamline agency support for child victims of sexual abuse, violence or other trauma.

The Umingmak centre would offer a safe, child-friendly environment in Nunavut, likely in Iqaluit to start, where an intake worker would assess the child and identify which agencies need to be involved and which services a child might require.

It would also provide crucial after-care so that once a traumatic incident or trial has passed, staff could create a plan of follow up so the child is never abandoned or forgotten.

The foundation recently got a letter from federal Justice Minister Peter McKay saying they will receive $225,000 in grant money from that federal department’s victim’s fund towards the project’s start-up.

But hearing from service providers across the North will help the foundation determine what services are already available to Nunavummiut youth, how they’re used, what gaps exist and how children and their families access those services.

Social service providers can fill out the survey here any time before Dec. 15.