A parent and at least five former caregivers are raising concerns about conditions at the Department of Family Services facility in Kinngait that cares for foster children. (Photo courtesy of Facebook)
‘They sleep on the floor:’ Caregivers quit Kinngait’s family services facility
Parent, former staff raise concerns about conditions at facility that houses foster children
At least five former caregivers who worked at a Department of Family Services facility in Kinngait that houses foster children say their salaries were delayed or not paid, with some saying they’re concerned about conditions there.
“The smell is awful there,” said one parent who is familiar with the facility told Nunatsiaq News. She spoke on the condition her name not be used.
“Smells like a dirty diaper,” she said of the facility, which she said she frequently visits to do paperwork.
It’s a “stuffy” space across from the hamlet’s Co-op store with about seven children, she said, estimating three or four of them are younger than one year old.
“They sleep on the floor, on the blankets. There’s no pillows. The kids were hungry, obviously,” she said.
The facility’s apparent problems were displayed May 1 on Facebook, when Monica Manning, a former caregiver at the facility, posted photos from inside. One photo appeared to show a toddler sleeping on the floor of an office using only a blanket and a window drape as bedding.
Other photos showed a sink with dirty dishes, a cluttered bathroom and a spartan kitchen setup.
There is a shortage of supplies and the children rarely have a “proper meal” — just frozen chicken — she said in her post, which received 37 comments and had been shared 264 times as of Tuesday morning.
Manning did not respond to an interview request from Nunatsiaq News.
She also posted a video to Facebook that she said was was taken from inside the facility, showing about a half-dozen children. She took it down after receiving an emailed request from the department, which she also posted to Facebook.
“While you are entitled to raise concerns about the services we provide, posting pictures of children in care on social media is a serious breach of confidentiality and could have legal consequences,” said Emesong Njabnjem, who is listed as manager for Family Wellness South Baffin in the GN’s online directory, in an email dated May 2.
Manning deleted the video, but not the post or the photos.
In several other posts, Manning said her pay for the caregiving work at the facility was delayed.
“They have no caregiver today, no one wants to work there anymore cuz they never get paid,” she wrote on May 1 in a Facebook post.
In the email to Manning, Njabnjem acknowledged the “oversight” that led to delays in paying her salary.
“Regarding your payment, our finance team is working to resolve the issue,” Njabnjem wrote.
There were at least five other people, who described themselves as former caregivers, who said in comments under Manning’s post that they’ve quit working for the Department of Family Services because of poor management or delays in being paid.
All five either declined or didn’t respond to requests for interviews from Nunatsiaq News, but the parent who spoke to Nunatsiaq News said she also has a family member who quit the facility over payment issues.
“There’s no more babysitters because they don’t get paid,” the parent told Nunatsiaq News.
A kettle and convection oven are where most of the meals for the children at the Department of Family Services facility in Kinngait are prepared, former caregiver Monica Manning says. (Photo courtesy of Facebook)
Nunatsiaq News contacted the Department of Family Services requesting an interview regarding the allegations about the facility.
Tina Rose, the department’s communications manager, declined the request.
The allegations surfaced around the same time Andrew Hayes, the deputy auditor general of Canada, gave an update on his office’s work overseeing improvements to child and family services in Nunavut.
On May 5, Hayes has said the Department of Family Services is “yet to produce appreciable changes to outcomes for vulnerable children and youth.”
“This means that children and youth in Nunavut still remain at risk of not receiving the protections and services that they require and that they deserve under the law,” he said.
Hayes’ report was a followup to auditor general Karen Hogan’s 2023 audit which she called “an urgent call for action.” Hogan’s audit was the third that covers the GN’s handling of vulnerable children in care. Previous audits were done in 2011 and 2014.
“It’s important to recognize previous governments did not act immediately [on the issues in Family Services], but as us, as the sixth assembly, we did put investments on that,” Premier P.J. Akeeagok said about his government’s record on May 7, during a meeting with reporters.
Blame previous govts? How long have you been Premier? Sounds like a liberal tactic, blame everyone but who’s in power.
This should be a wake up call for the community and territory. We can’t depend on people who come to work here. Step up party people if you say you care about your community
Yet they come for the exact reason that no one in the community has stepped up to do the job.
How weird is that?
Exactly, that’s what I’m saying.
The idea that anyone is about to “wake up” is unfortunately wishful thinking.
You are right, it’s about time to review your government’s concern about hiring people like this manager, who is unable to handle crisis leadership. If you observe, half of Iqaluit’s working officers resemble this manager. Wake up, uqausiit! Be vigilant!
same old story with family services. the last time the OAG filed a report about how they could not account for the inuit children under their care. heads rolled. the then DM and ADM were axed. now this. more heads gotta roll. they are obviously not monitoring these facilities.
This is not a “facility” though. This is an office that they are using as a childcare centre. I understand the limited availability of resources… but if you’re going to use a space that is not meant to be a childcare facility, as a childcare facility, MAKE SURE IT’S CLEAN!
Shame on all the management staff at family services that knowingly let this happen for who knows how long. Thank goodness someone had the bravery to post this on Facebook for it to be known – too bad the video is no longer available. That probably showed even more issues.
But the article says that this is something much worse than just an office being used as a childcare centre and not being kept clean. Instead, it appears that this office was improperly being used as a foster care group home housing several children. Not only does it appear that the place was filthy, but it was clearly not designed to be a home in the first place with no kitchen facilities and children sleeping on the floor.
Things can’t get more appalling than this and we need answers from the Department to many disturbing questions: How was this facility allowed to operate? Did it need a license and was one obtained? What did it need to show in order to obtain a license? What oversight is done by the government on licensees? How often are these facilities inspected if at all? These are just a few obvious questions but the Department must respond.
Or perhaps it means the staff hired are not doing their jobs.Dirty dishes smells of dirt diapers, unclean, filthy home. Get your butt in gear and clean it up.
I agree you may have an issue with pay cheques, but, that is an other issue entirely.
Your job is to keep the place clean for the children you are supposed to be caring for.
and then threathen the whistleblowers with legal/disciplinary action. how about we are going to look into this immedately.
Why not stop blaming anyone like our Nunavut Premier and blame the children’s parents.
This should teach the parents that have their children taken away from them, instead of addictions being more important.
Children do not ask to be born or to be on this earth, so you parents smarten up ASAP and take care of your poor children.
There is so much trauma here in Nunavut for these reasons children get taken away.
If you parents do not want your children to live in unhealthy place, stop making babies you do not plan to keep.
It is not fare for the poor innocent children to be treated this way by the Society, and by their parents that give up on them.
STOP BLAMING THE GVERNMENT AND WAKE UP PARENTS, or use IUD or birth control!
Nunatsiaq News, Please post this so parents can get little bit of this message, because I am advocating for the children.
Name withheld.
People will still have children, problems will still be there, so its UP to parents of every community to build programs, give mental health programs, where are you from? You want government to walk away from its people? Where have they been since the ’90s the government has had 25 years and we have people like you giving advice to people in government, so its your fault not the parents, IMAGINE if Government wallked away arms length away it would get worse, Medical offices would start procedures so ladies cannot have babies, where do you come from are you still back in the ’70s, 60’s whoa there are people who talk to officials like you maybe thats why nothing is ever done
The parents are not running a government facility; PJ’s government however is running such a facility.
The same government has a string of issues that have repeatedly put children at risk. It would be reassuring if the Premier answered for this.
currently no structure, the front line workers have nothing, everything that is Nunavut is behind closed doors and not accessible for any of the leaders, who are the listening to? and how are they staying where they are, what kind of protection are they giving themselves but nothing for the people of the territory, are they practicing something we dont know about
When resourceless, facebook become your only voice. The way fb is used in northern community is ridiculous, always a breach of confidentiality
Did you miss the part when it said that the person no longer works there. How is it a breach of confidentiality when the kids are being cared for in a public building in the community??? Anyone is allowed to be there… and take photos. ALSO, this isn’t the biggest issue!!! The biggest issue is that family services is compliant with this neglect and instead of being appalled and reassuring the individual that they would be looking into it right away, they tried to cover themselves by threatening legal action over unactual information.
This is what i am trying to mention about but those who say they are professional and certified are not listening to inuit complain. There is got to be investigation in arviat nunavut mental health who is supervisor for nunavut human resources who say he does his work. Not just mental health, RCMP whp can’t answer the phone call last year right around the time when a person was missing and still not found yet. It is a organize crime with inside the government workplace and still not a worker who say there will be help. And the income support workers too in kivalliq. Come and see how they are working and get a public inquiry to get more informatio.
Time for the GN budget to expand instead of axing what is needed. Improve the GN budget cycle to allow for growth and desperately needed infrastructure such appropriate care facilities for the most vulnerable like children.
How many children are being lost in the system? Sent to the south in foster homes or left in transition spaces that are squaller as described in the article?
Time for family services priorities to be part of the government mandate. Since the inception of NU not one government mandate identified family services as a top priority – particularly children in care.
Why is not the Premier and Ministers (current and past) not questioned in the house and held accountable for not making children in care in Nunavut and those sent down south a top priority in the mandate of the government?
Everyone has a part to play in ensuring the well-being of children and not just the government(s). Indeed as mentioned in the comments children do not asked to be born, but adults were also once children – the same principles applies. Trauma is a cycle – generational crisis.
Perhaps Inuit Organizations can champion to have a strong role in the well-bring of Inuit children working in partnerships with governments and other agencies/organizations – or take over the responsibility of Inuit children in care. It would be better fit than a public government. Just because the oversight for children well-being and security is not to be found in the Nunavut Agreement (anywhere), does not mean Inuit Organizations should not have a significant role and/or take the lead in child welfare in Nunavut.
I am surprised that FS is still facing challenges, even with a new DM. Here in Kivalliq, I know several students and foster families who haven’t been paid for a few months. What excuse will the Government of Nunavut provide this time? Before the turnover, staff members were trained on the Oracle, so what is the issue now, Mr. Ellsworth?
They should have kept you with JD, as that is where your expertise lies. Premier, why not consider a complete overhaul of the DMs?
I do not understand how a child facility can be a a office. Whom are the people in charge. There needs to be a facility just for the children they need beds, clean linens, the right amount of staff to care for the children. Who is doing the hiring over there you need qualified people or trainable staff. And the one thing you never do is make a worker wait for their pay check. They worked hard for their pay and need it on pay day not a week later. And don’t blame the parents they should not have been able to have more children if they can’t care for the ones they have I have seen parents have a lot of children so they get more social assistance and in turn get more child tax credit. So you ask who is going to fix the problem? Sounds to me like no one. Then you ask yourself why is their so much suicide in your community I say this could be one of the reasons.
G-D. How many more children are being neglected both at home. And in the care of the GN. How much longer can this be tolerated. If a society can’t look after the health and welfare of it’s children. There is no hope.
I am advocating that the feds take over. Shame shame on all the stake holders involved.
Even if the staff were not being paid on time. Is that a suitable reason to let these innocent children. Live in such abysmal conditions. The time will come to face the consequences. For letting this happen.
They say the government’s fault, or the southerners fault, or the communities fault etc etc etc, no I must tell you it is God’s word coming to pass, In the last days it will be times of much trouble, not a little bit but it says much.. Just watch any news now and the whole world is upside down, we must repent of our evil ways and do good so it will be fine for us and our seed.(Children)
what recourses, what money is used up? who is in charge? it definitely looks like it is allowed to take its course Even with people and public asking, confusion is used this is used only in war time but it looks like its used in Government times and no one answers are they on the same team bringing this result because they are behind it as well
WHAT!!
“It’s important to recognize previous governments did not act immediately [on the issues in Family Services], but as us, as the sixth assembly, we did put investments on that,” Premier P.J. Akeeagok said about his government’s record on May 7, during a meeting with reporters.
Premier is not a leader; he and his cabinet had lots of time to fix this!!