98 per cent of child and youth receiving care in N.W.T. are Indigenous, report says

Despiteefforts since 2019to reduce the number of Indigenous children and youth in care, the annual report of the Director of Child and Family Services (CFS) tabled in the N.W.T. 's Legislative Assembly Wednesday indicates almost all children and youth receiving care from the territorial governmentare Indigenous.

The report said 98 per cent of the 1,044 childrenor youth who received services in the territory from CFS between April 1, 2020 andMarch 31, 2021, the periodthe report covers are Indigenous, while only57 per cent of children and youth in the N.W.T are Indigenous.

N.W.T.Child and Family Services, a division of the Department of Health and Social Services,said in the report that it was, "committed to taking action to address this inequity experienced by Indigenous families and communities."

The report also highlighted that 92 per cent of the young people receiving services were residing in their home communities, and 75 per cent remainedin their own homes.

Cases of young people receiving care is not evenly distributed across regions. There was a disproportionate percentage of young people receiving services in the Tch region relative to the population distribution.

The report also stated that over the last 10 years, the number of children and youth in permanent care was roughly cut in half.

Minister of Health and Social Services Julie Green said the report highlights that good efforts are being made to improve outcomes for Indigenous families, by engaging with Indigenous governments and trying to maintain "the connections of children and youth to family, community, and culture."

Greensaid in a statement that the government of the Northwest Territories is committed to ongoing system reform.

CBC News reached out the Department of Health and Social Services for an interview, but a representative was not available by press time.