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YG and Yukon coroner share update on regulation of social work in the Yukon

The update was shared as a statement on Dec. 24
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Health and Social Services Minister Tracy-Anne McPhee (Yukon News file)

The Yukon minister of health and the Yukon chief coroner are sharing an update regarding the regulation of social workers in the territory.

In a statement shared on Dec. 24, the minister of health and social services, Tracy-Anne McPhee, and Chief Coroner Heather Jones, said the work to develop regulations for social workers is continuing.

According to the statement, the Yukon government recently met with the Association of Social Workers in Northern Canada to “initiate discussions about regulating social workers.”

Per the association’s website, they’re a not-for-profit which “represents and supports social work practice in Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut.” However, they are not a regulatory body for social workers in the territories.

McPhee and Jones’ joint statement said the discussions between the association and the territory are currently focused on “the need to modernize the Health Professions Act prior to adding new professions under it.”

The Health Professions Act is a territorial act that came into force in 2003. It allows the government to govern certain designated health professions in the public interest, according to the stated purpose of the act.

The work to regulate social workers comes from the recommendations of a June 2023 coroner’s inquest into the death of a seven-month-old infant, according to the statement. As the News reported at that time, the jury made multiple recommendations to the Yukon government, including the recommendation to enact legislation to regulate social work, as is done in all other jurisdictions across Canada except for Nunavut. The regulation would register social workers and hold them to specific standards by regulatory bodies.

READ MORE: 13 recommendations issued at conclusion of inquest into infant’s 2021 death

“During the inquest, expert testimony reinforced how regulation strengthens consistency and accountability, ensuring practitioners are held to defined qualifications and standards of care,” reads the statement.

The statement also said that YG has accepted all the regulations of the jury, and that they’re committed to meaningful change.

READ MORE: Premier, Family and Children’s Services address inquest recommendations

Contact Talar Stockton at talar.stockton@yukon-news.com