New Brunswick's child and youth advocate looking to improve social policy work

New Brunswick Child and Youth Advocate Kelly Lamrock makes an announcement at the St. John the Baptist/King Edward School in Saint John, N.B., on Nov. 20, 2024. (CTV Atlantic/Avery MacRae)

It was earlier this year New Brunswick’s Child and Youth Advocate released a report, titled “How It All Broke.” The 49-page report took a deep dive into some of the provincial governance flaws, including needs to reduce red tape, and add better oversight when it comes to running its social programs, like child care.

On National Child Day, Kelly Lamrock says they are now moving into the next phase to see how it all gets fixed.

“We're trying to find ways that we can make social policy work better in New Brunswick and try and make partners of government,” Lamrock told reporters at St. John the Baptist/King Edward School in Saint John, N.B., Wednesday. “One of the best ways to do that is tapping into the energy and expertise that's in the non-profit sector.”

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The hope is to take a look at how the province works with the non-profit sector to see how more partnerships can be made to deliver services efficiently.

The Child and Youth office plans to have an online web portal up by the end of this year where feedback can be given.

“We're going to have an advisory group of people with a ton of experience in government and non-profits,” says Lamrock. “We're going to be holding a few meetings around the province to hear from non-profit leaders, and we're hoping to tap into the expertise that’s there in the non-profit sector.”

Lamrock says he has already had a number of non-profits reach out, giving him confidence the online feedback portal will be a success in understanding where changes of improvement can be made.

However, Lamrock assures this is not just the making of a wish list to celebrate the holidays.

“We've had lots of reports have a wish list but what we want to do is say, ‘How should the relationship be structured?’” says the child and youth advocate. “There's a lot of countries that are doing interesting things, from social impact bonds to novel partnerships for delivery to decentralizing delivery. We actually want to look at how we energize the sector in a different way.”

Lamrock says his office will not only be looking to hear from non-profits, but also municipalities and those working on the frontline. He also makes note of the change in government, and looks forward to seeing how the new premier will help stimulate change.

“I read so many reports that respond to when it screws up,” Lamrock says. “We'd like to see if we start advocating things that keep it from screwing up in the first place.”

Lamrock says investing in children at a young age tends to lead to a healthier adult life.

For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.