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    Office of the Child and Youth Advocate Alberta

    About

    The OCYA advocates on behalf of children and youth receiving child intervention services or who are involved with the youth justice system by ensuring that their rights, interests and viewpoints are acknowledged and acted upon.

     

    Advocacy is not a neutral activity. All staff at the OCYA are driven by a shared concern for young people, and a commitment to doing all we can to improve the services they receive, often through very difficult circumstances in their lives. It is these young people, who have the courage to let us know what they need, who make all our efforts worthwhile.

     

    The OCYA provides individual and systemic advocacy for children and youth receiving “designated services” as defined under the Child and Youth Advocate Act. This includes young people receiving or attempting to access services under the Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act and the Protection of Sexually Exploited Children Act; or who are involved with the youth justice system. The OCYA also provides access to legal representation for young people receiving child intervention services, offers public education, and conduct investigations in serious injuries and deaths of young people receiving designated services.

     

    *It is important to know that our office does not investigate reports of child abuse or neglect.  If you are concerned that a young person is being abused or neglected please call: – Crisis at (780) 422-2001 or at (800) 638-0715 – Calgary SSRT at (403) 297-2995

    Open
    Open hours today: 8:15 am - 4:30 pm Toggle weekly schedule

    • Monday

      8:15 am - 4:30 pm

    • Tuesday

      8:15 am - 4:30 pm

    • Wednesday

      8:15 am - 4:30 pm

    • Thursday

      8:15 am - 4:30 pm

    • Friday

      8:15 am - 4:30 pm

    • Saturday

      Closed

    • Sunday

      Closed

      • April 25, 2024 9:57 am local time

    Gender & Sexuality
    Services & Programming Offered

    INFORMATION FOR CHILDREN & YOUTH

     

    • Who Can I Talk To? - Even if you are not sure who to ask for (or even if you're not sure you're calling the right place) – try us! One of our friendly intake workers will listen and will probably ask a few questions. Depending on your wants and needs, you may be assigned an Advocate or a Lawyer. If our office isn’t the right place for you, our intake workers can still help by providing other resources and people to talk to.

    Talk to Us!
    Call (free): 1 - (800) 661-3446
    or Email: [email protected]

    NORTHERN ALBERTA
    Call: (780) 422-6056

    SOUTHERN ALBERTA
    Call: (403) 297-8435

    If you aren’t sure which region you are in it’s ok, we will help you no matter which number you call.

     

    • What is an Advocate? - What is an Advocate? An Advocate is someone who will listen to your views, wishes and feelings. They are someone who will support you to have your say when decisions are being made about you. An Advocate strongly believes that children’s rights are important and will work hard to make sure that you know your rights and how they apply to your situation. If a young person is not able to make their views known, an Advocate will put forward a rights-based perspective.

    Want to Learn More? Click Here

     

    • What is Legal Representation? - Do you have a court matter coming up that will determine where you will live and who you will live with? You have a right to have your opinion heard by the judge. A lawyer may be able to help you. Contact our office to speak with an intake worker if you would like more details.

    Want to Learn More? Click Here

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    SERVICES OFFERED

     

    • Access to Legal Representation - Young people have the right to express their opinions and have their legal interests considered in matters affecting them. The OCYA provides legal representation for young people who are involved in matters under the Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act or the Protection of Sexually Exploited Children Act. For More Info Click Here

     

    • Engagement and Education - A central part of our work is to promote and raise awareness about the rights of young people and to build advocacy capacity in communities. Our staff provide presentations and participate in educational events. For More Info Click Here

     

    • Indigenous Engagement - The OCYA’s Indigenous Engagement Consultants work to build strong relationships with Indigenous communities and strengthen our capacity to serve Indigenous young people. For More Info Click Here

     

    • Individual Advocacy - Our staff provide support to young people to be heard by decision makers. For those young people who are not able to express themselves, we ensure their interests are considered. For More Info Click Here

     

    • Investigative Reviews - The OCYA conducts investigative reviews into systemic issues arising from the serious injury to or the death of a young person. The purpose of the reviews is to identify opportunities for improving services. For more Info Click Here

     

    • Systemic Advocacy - The OCYA is involved in advocacy efforts to influence change at a broad level. We collaborate with others to identify systemic issues and make recommendations to improve services for young people. For More Info Click Here