N.B. social workers must be empowered to do what's best for at-risk youth: advocates (opens original article in a new tab)

Youth advocates in New Brunswick urge the government to empower social workers to prioritize the best interests of at-risk youth, citing systemic failures and bureaucratic barriers within the Social Development Department. A report on a 16-year-old's overdose death highlighted the department's lack of accountability and failure to act on multiple warnings.

• New Brunswick government must empower social workers to prioritize vulnerable youth's best interests
• Social Development Department faces criticism for systemic failures and bureaucratic barriers
• Youth advocates recommend tracking metrics for children in care and reducing regional management layers
• Frontline social workers should have authority to make decisions in youth's best interests
• Regional managers failed to act on 15 warnings about a 16-year-old's case