Ministry of Children and Families Failed Children at Core of Review
By 250 News
- Savannah Hall
- Rowen Von Niederhausern
- Serena Leona Marie Wiebe and
- Amanda Jean Simpson
Turpel-Lafond says she did not want to deliver a report that would focus on blame, never the less, she says the lessons from incidents are not being applied, and where policy is changed, the front line workers are not adequately trained.
In her report, "Amanda, Savannah, Rowen and Serena,: From Loss to Learning" Turpel-Lafond calls for increased conmmunication and training.
“We must get on with the business of improving the work on the front line” she says reassessing safety of children in homes of violence and addiction is important.
“We must learn these lessons and move forward” says Turpel-Lafond.
In respect to the North region, she notes the region has geographical challenges, and at the time of the four deaths, there was a staffing shortage and high staff turn over.
Yet, even though staffing levels are now at 98% she says the problems still exist. Children are not being properly assessed, that violence within the family and addictions are not being given enough weight. She says in three of the four cases, the children were “Erroneously found not to be in need of protection.”
She says in the other 27 cases she reviewed, over half indicate the children should be in care. She says there have been some changes, but in many cases, workers aren’t connecting the dots. “If the 13th report of abuse is being treated as the first, we need to see there is a pattern.” She says that is why it is important to “tend the garden of the front line workers.”
With 77% of children in care in the north being aboriginal, Turpel- Lafond has called for the also calls for the establishment of an Aboriginal Children’s Council for the North region. This Council should provide a focal point for the analysis of the safety and well-being of vulnerable Aboriginal children, including Aboriginal children in care, in order to implement broad based and practical supports to improve their safety and well-being.
The Council should:
- consist of representatives of First Nations and Métis governments, service providers and others from the main systems of support for children, including education and health
- include municipal representatives where appropriate
- have an explicit objective to consider more collaborative approaches to support better outcomes for the vulnerable Aboriginal children in the North region.
She also calls for a special report care on children in care tobe issued twice a year, with the first due this December.
To read the full report, "Amanda, Savannah, Rowen and Serena,: From Loss to Learning" Cick here.
The union for the front line workers, the BCGEU has issued a response to the report, calling on the Government to work with their members “The deaths of these four vulnerable children are tragic, Government should genuinely involve our union members in a process of meaningful change, We are allied with the same goal, - to keep children safe” says BCGEU President George Heyman.
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I haven't done that before now because quite frankly,I just wanted to forget what I had seen and saw and heard.
At the end of the inquest,we as a jury,made our recommendations and presented them to the coroner and I see very little of those recommendations in the report,at least not specifically.
It was an extremely difficult and painfull process,and we were all emotionally drained to say the least.
I took pages of notes, as we all did, and these were turned over to the court at the end of the inquest, so I now have to operate from memory which is still very clear, unfortunately.
I wish it would go away.
We asked a LOT of questions and in the end,I left the court feeling like we had accomplished nothing,very sad,and very angry for what had happened to this child.
And nobody was responsible.
Suffice to say,there is a lot left out in this latest report, but I am not going to go there, even though a part of me would sure like to.
In my opinion,after reading this latest report,I now know that it is unlikely anything much will change for these kids who need someone to stand up for them,and that is an insult to the memory of the ones that died through no fault of their own.
What I see in the report is a concerted effort by the Campbell government and the Ministry of Children and Families to downplay their role,at least in the particular case I sat on.
I can't imagine why?
I cannot speak on the rest of these cases because I was not there,but in my own personal opinion,they failed to do what they are supposed to do,and they failed badly.
The Ministry more or less admits there was mistakes made and you can bet there was!
And some pretty serious ones at that.
There was also some damn stupid people involved.
I wish I could say more, but it is probably much wiser not to,considering that the anger I felt after the inquest has all come back in spades.
I am actually furious.
After reading this report from begining to end,I can only say that there should have been more,much more, but as usual,politics and rhetoric seem to come first and actual solutions will be based on money,staffing,geographics,and most of all,political correctness.
In my opinion,somebody should have had to answer for these deaths or at the very least,somebody should have lost their job.
If the only thing that was accomplished was this report,then they have failed again.
In my opinion, the reasons this liitle child is dead comes down to two things...a failure by the Ministry to act and follow up,and bad parenting, which the Ministry was also in fact aware of.
And there is also a degree of responsibility that must be accepted by First Nations themselves.
Perhaps they tried to some extent,but they knew, and they failed too.
And I am sick and tired of the government getting away with making excuses.
This has gone on far too long without any solid solutions.
Would I do it again?
You bet I would,if only to see that those responsible were aware that somebody was in fact paying attention to what was going on,or NOT going on as the case may be!