The Authority of the Children’s Advocate Office

The Children’s Advocate may:

• Review any decision made by a provincial government department or agency
• Conduct a formal investigation to determine if a provincial government decision or action is:
  
  • Wrong
  • Concerning the law
  • Unreasonable
  • Unjust
  • Oppressive
  • Discriminatory
  • Based on a mistake in interpreting the law or the facts of a case
    
• Require any person to provide information, documents or things regarding any matter being investigated
• Summons and examine under oath any person who is able to provide information relating to the matter being investigated
• Make recommendations to provincial government concerning changes to policies, procedures, or legislation or recommend that the situation being investigated be rectified or a decision changed
• Require that when a child, who resides in a facility, foster home, group home or other facility that provides services to children, asks to contact the Children’s Advocate, that his/her request be forwarded immediately to the Children's Advocate Office
• Ensure that written requests are to forwarded unopened
• Refuse to investigate or cease to investigate a complaint
• Publish reports, from time-to-time, relating generally to the exercise of powers and the performance of duties and functions under the Act or to any particular case

Limits to the Authority of the Children’s Advocate Office

• The Children’s Advocate Office has no authority to reverse a decision or to make a decision regarding the services provincial government provides
• No authority to become involved where no direct provincial government service is being provided or where the complaint is concening:
  • A decision of a Court, Judge or Justice of the Peace
  • The Federal Government
  • A local School Board or Municipal Government
  • The police

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315 25th Street East, Saskatoon Saskatchewan S7K 2H6
Phone: (306) 933 6700 Fax:(306) 933 8406 Email: childadvocate@saskcao.ca