Infant-development advisers and the way forward
Vancouver SunNovember 2, 2009
There is no question that the office of the provincial adviser for infant development programs has done an outstanding job of supporting these community-based services in B.C. for the last 35 years. Nevertheless, these are coordinating and administrative roles that can be fulfilled without separate offices.
While the adviser position may be ending, the work of the office will continue with no loss or interruption in either infant development or child development services. Both programs will continue to receive full funding and, in fact, have seen budget increases.
Our government has a responsibility to maintain strong and effective front-line services to families. Savings associated with not renewing the adviser positions allow us to do this.
I also want to make clear that the aboriginal infant development adviser position is not being eliminated, as this op-ed article suggests. It has been extended until March 31, 2010.
The provincial advisers have helped build the programs into what they are today. For those efforts, we are indebted.
Moving forward, the ministry must take steps that will allow us to reduce administrative costs and invest those dollars where they are needed most -- in front-line services for children and families.
Mary Polak
Minister of Children and Family Development, Victoria
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I am hoping that this letter was not actually written by Mary Polak, but from one of her assistant or by a bureaucrat in the Ministry, as I cannot imagine that Ms. Polak can still maintain that the people in our Provincial Advisors' offices are doing administration work. As well, I'm not sure about the reasoning behind stating that the Aboriginal IDP Advisor's office is not being eliminated, just because this will not happen until the end of the fiscal year in March, 2010. What magic will occur then?
ReplyDeleteWe will not stop asking for common sense to prevail.
Judie Sahadeo