By Melanie Robinson

 

FORT ST. JOHN – It’s been just over a year since Mary Polak was chosen for her position as the Minister of Children and Family Development, but she has some strong goals in mind.

The minister, who was in town to attend an elders and youth gathering in the region, also met with local agencies such as the Child Development Centre and the Fort St. John Friendship Society.

 

She said such visits are important for residents around the province to realize they have a connection to both the ministry and Victoria.

 

“It’s good for me to be able to see first hand what’s going on in communities, to get to talk to staff on a pretty personal and informal basis, to hear about some of the challenges that they’re facing, but also to show to them that there is a commitment on the part of the ministry to really be supporting them and working with them,” she said.

 

The agencies in the Northeast, she added, work very well together, which benefits members of the communities in which they serve, but she said like the ministry, there are challenges when it comes to recruitment and retention.

 

At the Child Development Centre, for example, they are working to recruit professionals such as speech and language pathologists, but have been finding it difficult to do so.

 

Polak said it’s difficult in this region because when it comes to administration jobs, oil and gas companies tend to pay more.

 

Recruitment and retention, however, is not the ministry’s overarching goal.

 

“Up until now, we’ve really been known in public as the ministry that comes and takes your kids away,” she said. “What I am hoping to see happen in a few years time is that we are finally known for what we do best, which is being the first place that a family should call if they need some help and support.”

 

She said that goal is not going to be achieved overnight, as there is trust to build with residents.

 

The goal, however, she quickly added, is achievable.

 

“It’s something that our people are really, really good at, but we need to be able to do the work to get that message out so that families don’t feel threatened by that kind of contact,” she said.

 

Progress has been made in that, in the last year, the ministry staff have changed how they are viewing themselves and a change in practice is underway in how the ministry, which has a staff of approximately 4,300 employees, works with families.

 

The idea, she said, is to move more towards a holistic assessment as families come to them.

 

“We’re looking at everything around that family, and in some cases the extended family, and determining not just is the child at risk but what areas of support can we bring to bear for this family,” she said. “Maybe if we add some additional supports early on, maybe we can stop a family from getting into an at risk situation. So thinking a lot more in a preventative way.”

 

Other changes at the ministry level include working to provide families with the services they need in this day and age and determining how the government can work together to create more day care spaces, covering day care funding for parents and looking into present issues around part-time day care as well.

 

Polak said residents are likely to see the ministry look at all regulations for childcare to see if they make sense, because not all present regulations are realistic and the challenge is determining the scope of the problem.

 

“We’ve got to look at all of those things because availability and affordability are two of the biggest concerns that we hear from parents and at this point in time, sadly, you end up with people who are inhibited in terms of getting back into the workforce just because they can’t find childcare,” she said.