The action plan was developed by a working group established a month ago following an incident where two youths in provincial government care were charged in connection with homicides in the community. The items in the action plan are in addition to interim measures already taken to enhance community safety, including ceasing new admissions to the facility until more long-term solutions are put in place and increasing the number of staff at the facility to help prevent youth from going absent without permission.

Items in the long-term action plan presented to the community include:

• An 80 per cent reduction in the number of youth who go absent without permission from Bosco Homes, by June 2010.
• Reviewing youth before they are admitted to the facility to ensure they do not have a chronic absent-without-permission history or volatile behaviour.
• Putting additional security measures in place to help curtail the number of absents without permission, including physically preventing a youth at immediate risk from leaving, building a fence on the property, and adding magnetic locks to exit doors of buildings, with the exception of the front door.
• Continuing with the establishment of a community advisory council to respond to community concerns, and to monitor and report back to the public about progress made on the action plan.
• RCMP commitment to continue responding and reporting to the public when a youth at the facility goes absent without permission.
• Efforts by community representatives on the working group to encourage others in the community to be involved in reporting incidents to the police and being on the list of those who are notified by information fan-out when a youth goes absent without permission from the facility.

The community meeting concluded with a commitment from the working group representatives to discuss the input received during its next meeting, expected to be held in July.

The working group also committed to continuing to share information about its work to the public, including after the community advisory council proposed in the action plan is established. Update information will be made available to the public at www.edmontonandareacfsa.alberta.ca.

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