Paige was on a Youth Agreement (YAG) with the Ministry of Children and Family Development that was about to expire. Paige understood from their social worker that they would continue on a YAG and the social worker would help with an application for an Agreement with Young Adults (AYA) so they could transition to that program when they turned 19. However, a week later, just three days before the YAG expired, the social worker told Paige that their YAG would not be extended and she would not be proceeding with their AYA application. In addition, the social worker also told them that their allowance cheque might be delayed.

Paige was really distressed. They had three days to find a job, figure out their tenancy with their landlord, and figure out how they were going to live, a lot for an 18-year-old to handle in a very short period of time.

Our office investigated whether the ministry followed a reasonable process dealing with the renewal of Paige’s YAG, the decision not to proceed with an AYA application and the potential delays with their allowance cheque.

The ministry told us that Paige had not completed an independence planner, which was a document needed to proceed with their YAG extension. It appears that because it was not received, a decision was made to discontinue the YAG and not proceed with the AYA. We discussed the importance of providing adequate notice of a decision, particularly one that significantly impacts a person. The ministry acknowledged that the notice provided to Paige was not sufficient and also clarified that it had intended to provide some additional support after the YAG ended. We discussed that it was not apparent this had been adequately communicated to Paige.

To remedy the fairness concerns, staff met to discuss what happened in Paige’s case and to review their file. They also took steps to ensure that Paige received their allowance cheque on time. After the review, the ministry decided to renew the YAG and met with Paige to help them complete the required paperwork. The social worker also agreed to revise their system of bringing files forward to ensure more notice in situations where an agreement was coming to an end.