Ned Yeung<p>I am so furious! The UCP just cut a vital program and lifeline for 1,000 kids, without any consultation, costing us all as these kids are ripped away from extended family they trust and thrown into a cruel and expensive system.</p><p>'Families faced with heart-breaking decision: Do we give up on these kids?</p><p>EDMONTON – About 1,000 children and their loved ones will suffer because of the Alberta government’s sudden decision to scrap a vital support program, says the Alberta Union or Provincial Employees (AUPE).</p><p>“This cut may be a small line item to the government, but it has been a lifeline for extended families raising children who would otherwise be at risk of physical, emotional and sexual violence,” says Sandra Azocar, vice-president of AUPE, which represents government workers, including those working in the Child and Youth Support Program (CYSP).</p><p>It keeps these children safe with family members who know and love them, rather than leave them as wards of the province.</p><p>The program provides financial help to extended families who take guardianship of children at risk. Along with a monthly stipend, it helps pay for things including school supplies, clothing and the cost of psychological and education assessments. It also provides medical and dental benefits, including braces, for the children.</p><p>For the past decade, Andrea Waywanko and her spouse, both of whom are retired and on a fixed income, have raised two grandsons with help from CYSP. One is 18 years old and has aged out, the other is 16. She estimates she will lose about $4,000 over the next two years in support for the younger child.</p><p>“There was no consultation with families, just an email that said the program was ending in September. I am angry,” she said. “The government seems to have no problem finding $70 million for Turkish Tylenol we can’t use. It has no problem paying for the premier to go to a Florida fund-raiser for U.S. extremists, but it can’t help these families?”</p><p>Azocar said that at-risk children who need stability now have uncertainty instead. </p><p>“How many of those 1,000 children affected will now end up back in the care system at a much greater cost, rather than staying with extended family members they love and trust?”</p><p>She adds: “The Child and Youth Support Program saves money in the long run. Ending the program is financially foolish as well as being incredibly cruel. Families are furious.'</p><p><a href="https://www.aupe.org/news/news-and-updates/cruel-cut-creates-uncertain-future-1000-children-risk" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">aupe.org/news/news-and-updates</span><span class="invisible">/cruel-cut-creates-uncertain-future-1000-children-risk</span></a></p><p><a href="https://beige.party/tags/abpoli" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>abpoli</span></a></p>