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  A day in the life of an Advocate  

Tick Tock - Click on the Clock 

8:15 - 8:30
Check phone messages. Youth has called from Edmonton Young Offender Centre (EYOC). She is very upset and would like to see me ASAP. Respond to her call and arrange to visit. Return other calls.
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9:00 - 11:00
Attend a case conference to advocate for a "permanency plan" for a 4-year-old. Many attempts to find a "forever" home have been unsuccessful, leaving this child anxious and upset. Team at the conference includes Band representatives as well as the adoption workers and the manager. Consensus was reached on the plan for this child. Everyone acknowledged the importance of developing a permanent plan for her.
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11:15
Check messages. Reply to as many as possible.
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Noon - 1:15
Meet and take youth for lunch in order to strategize about the meeting to be held at 1:15. This 14-year-old youth is very unhappy because he feels that his social worker does not talk to him about what is going on and does not include him in the planning and decision-making about him. The youth wants to voice his concerns with the supervisor present. The youth wants to be able to talk for himself and have me fill in the gaps and provide support.
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1:15 - 2:30
Attend the meeting. The youth does an excellent job of explaining why he is feeling so left out of the process. The supervisor asks if he would be willing to try working with the worker to see if they can overcome the problems together. The youth agrees. Debrief with the youth after the meeting. He states he does feel listened to during the meeting and is willing to try again with the worker. Shares that he is not sure if it will work. I explain that if decisions continue to be made without including him there are things we can do together to try to fix things. Drop youth off at group home.
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3:00 - 4:30
Visit youth at EYOC. She has been incarcerated and her 4-month-old infant apprehended. She wants to know what her rights are both in the youth justice system and with child intervention system in respect to her baby. The baby had been in her care since birth. She would like to have visits with the baby. We discuss what she wants to do, step by step.

This is the plan that was made and the steps that were taken:

a) Contact her lawyer to see if she will represent her in both the Young Offender system and the intervention matter. Find out the possibility of immediate release.

b) Contact caseworker:

  1. Meet/phone to discuss youth's and baby's living arrangements after release;
  2. Arrange visits with the baby; and
  3. Plan with youth for her infant.

Left the meeting after many calls with the youth were made and the beginnings of a plan were in place. Since a plan is in the works, the likelihood of youth's imminent release is increased. Since she was incarcerated due to a breach of probation, hopefully this will allow her to work towards her goals for herself and her infant.
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4:30
Call in for messages. Return any urgent calls.
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