Child and Youth Advocate (Parent and Guardian Liaison) Amendment Act, 2024*

Summary#

• This bill changes Alberta’s Child and Youth Advocate Act to add a new role called the Parent and Guardian Advisor inside the Office of the Child and Youth Advocate.

• The Advisor’s job is to help families support their children’s well-being, navigate school and services, and report broad problems that make it hard for families to get help.

• Creates a Parent and Guardian Advisor as an employee within the Office of the Child and Youth Advocate (not an independent officer of the Legislature).

• Offers information, guidance, and referrals for health, education, social, cultural, language, and spiritual supports.

• Can help families understand and work with school programs to support a child’s learning and well-being.

• Must keep conversations confidential, with a required exception for reporting child protection concerns.

• Cannot act as a lawyer, and cannot take part in police cases, court matters, or official investigations (but may give general information and publicly available updates).

• Requires annual public reporting on activities, statistics (such as number of families served and satisfaction), and systemic barriers; summary stats must be posted online.

• Takes effect 3 months after it becomes law.

What it means for you#

• Parents and guardians

  • You will have a single point of contact in a government office to help you find and understand services for your child.
  • You can get guidance on school programs and how to support your child’s learning and well-being.
  • Your talks with the Advisor are confidential and cannot be used in court without your consent, except when the law requires reporting a child at risk.
  • The Advisor cannot represent you in court or at a hearing and cannot intervene in active police or court cases.
  • You may receive general information about the justice process and publicly available updates related to your child’s case.

• Grandparents, siblings, and other close family members

  • You can also contact the Advisor for information and referrals if you have a close relationship with a child under 18.
  • The Advisor can connect you with mental health, health care, social services, cultural and language supports, and community programs.

• Children and youth (under 18)

  • The Advisor is meant to support your well-being by helping your family find the right services.
  • Your best interests, safety, and well-being are stated as the top priority.

• Schools

  • Families may come to meetings better prepared and informed about available education supports.
  • The Advisor may help families understand school options and services; the bill does not create new requirements for schools.

• Service providers and community groups

  • You may receive more referrals from the Office of the Child and Youth Advocate through the Advisor.
  • System-wide issues families face in accessing your services may be flagged in public annual reports.

Expenses#

• No publicly available information.

Proponents' View#

• Helps parents and guardians navigate complex systems so children get the supports they need sooner.
• Strengthens families by offering practical guidance and referrals across health, education, and social services.
• Keeps child safety first while protecting family privacy through confidential communication rules.
• Improves accountability and system learning by requiring annual public statistics and reporting on barriers.
• Adds support without changing court processes or police investigations, reducing confusion about roles.

Opponents' View#

• May duplicate existing services (such as school supports, community agencies, and helplines) and create confusion about where families should go.
• Could shift the Child and Youth Advocate’s focus away from children toward adult concerns, especially when parent and child interests differ.
• The Advisor cannot help in legal proceedings, which may limit usefulness for families dealing with courts or investigations.
• Unclear costs and staffing needs could strain the Office of the Child and Youth Advocate’s resources.
• Reporting duties may not lead to real changes if government does not act on identified systemic barriers.