Pubdate: Thu, 28 Apr 2005
Source: Regina Leader-Post (CN SN)
Copyright: 2005 The Leader-Post Ltd.
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/regina/leaderpost/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/361
Author: Tim Switzer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

FAMILIES LOOKING FOR HELP

Saskatchewan Party MLA June Draude introduced a private member's bill in 
the legislature Wednesday that could give families the power to put 
drug-addicted children into mandatory rehabilitation.

The Protection and Assessment of Children who are Abusing Drugs Act is 
based on a bill recently passed in Alberta.

"A child that's on drugs right now can't really make up their mind and 
doesn't really have control over all their faculties and we just believe it 
gives them a chance to make some changes in their life," said Draude.

Under the act, legal guardians would make an application to a court to have 
the child -- in this case defined as under the age of 18 -- apprehended and 
confined to a safe house for no more than 30 days. If the court grants the 
application and the child is admitted to the safe house, he/she would 
undergo an assessment by the director of the facility and then begin 
detoxification and treatment.

While the act was spurred on by the high-profile use of crystal meth in the 
last year, it entails users of all drugs and alcohol.

Community Resources and Employment Minister Joanne Crofford said there are 
still several factors that need to be considered before enacting 
legislation including civil liberties issues as well as whether or not the 
same result could be achieved through changes to current legislation.

The Child and Family Services Act currently allows for children under the 
age of 16 to be apprehended and returned to their family's care.

"There certainly are people looking at both the amended Alberta bill . and 
as well looking at what the best practices are that are considered by 
people who work in the field. And also doing a bit of a balancing act with 
looking at how the rights of the young person are protected as well," she 
said. "I think what we have to determine here is whether there are 
circumstances in which a person should be judged to be not competent to 
make their own decisions."

A spokesperson from the Children's Advocate Office said any strategy must 
include the recommendations of young people and must balance a child's 
right to protection from harm with a child's right to fair treatment as 
well as asserting a child's right to physical and personal integrity.

Rod Rossmo, a registered psychologist and professor of health education at 
the University of Regina said the effectiveness of treatment under duress 
is debatable but can lead some addicts down the road to recovery.

But even though mandatory treatment won't work for everyone, he said the 
government still needs to put some sort of law in place.

"There's an urgency to do something," he said. "I think that suffering 
families need the support of the government and the ear of the government 
to allow them to have some modality that will ease the burden of addiction 
and the consequences to the family functioning."

The bill could be debated further today after Legislative Secretary on 
Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Graham Addley reveals his findings 
and recommendations on the province's addictions policies and programs.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom