YELLOWKNIFE (July 7, 2025) – The Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority (NTHSSA) is shifting the current after-hours emergency on-call services model for Child and Family Services in multiple regions to support sustainable service delivery to residents in Northwest Territories (NWT) communities.

As of June 30, 2025, Child and Family Services full-time after-hours emergency on-call services in the community of Fort McPherson have ceased, with calls instead being directed to an on-call worker in Inuvik.

Residents can still call the existing after-hours line at (867) 444-1142 and press “9” to access services.

Then, effective July 14, 2025, Child and Family Services full-time after-hours emergency on-call services in the Sahtu, Dehcho, and Fort Smith Regions will be integrated, with staff from each region rotating to respond to emergency calls.

Residents can still call existing after-hours lines to access services:

• Sahtu Region: (867) 444-1142
• Dehcho Region: (867) 695-6585
• Fort Smith Region: (867) 621-1122

Beyond these operational adjustments, there should be no real impact for callers once these changes are implemented. While callers may not be speaking with someone in their region, they will still be connected to someone who is an appointed child protection worker capable of dealing with child protection emergencies and responding appropriately. Should an emergent response be required, one will be provided.

This shift towards a more centralized on-call model aligns with models that have already been successfully implemented in other NWT regions and communities. It will not reduce the level of care that residents receive, or their ability to access emergency services, which will remain available 24/7.

These changes are being made so that the NTHSSA can make the most efficient and effective use of available resources to support sustainable service delivery to clients in all NWT communities.

The NTHSSA is committed to ensuring that this shift in service delivery does not impact the safety and wellbeing of children and youth. We will continually monitor this shift once implemented and address any concerns as they arise.

For media requests, please contact:

NTHSSA Communications
nthssacomms@gov.nt.ca