Kali Advocacy Project: Fighting for Social Justice: Investigation into MCFD Handling of Child Protection Placements Decisions is Long Overdue

There are no other words to describe the latest mess in MCFD
than these - morally adrift, unconscionable, depraved, indefensible...

Here is the story as it is unfolding, you will hear little about this
from the corporate media:

A 10 week old baby girl has received injuries medically consistent with
shaken baby syndrome while living in a foster home in Saanich. She was
legally removed from her parents at birth and is reported to have been in
this home since she was born. A child apprehension at that tender age
indicates significant issues and challenges on the part of the parent(s).

On Wednesday, November 26th, the foster home called 911, to report
the baby was in distress and having trouble breathing. She was taken
to hospital.

The Ministry of Children and Family Development allegedly told police
medical tests showed the infant girl had a brain injury from an assault.
She is now in hospital and last reported to be in critical but stable condition
at Victoria General Hospital with a life-threatening injury, thought to be
shaken baby syndrome. A police investigation is underway.
Central Saanich Det. Paul Brailey said:

"Social services have got a lot of answers to some of the questions
we'll be asking them and we'll be gathering information," said Brailey.

There were also reported to be three other foster children in the home.
They were removed from the foster home and this is where things get
even more dicey.

According to ChekTV, one of the other children in the foster home was a 5
month old infant, who had also been removed from his parents and placed in
the home. According to the news report, MCFD called the parents, Michelle
and Dave Williams and told them there had been an emergency at the foster
home and requested they take the child back to live with them.

The parents allege that the Ministry told them to take their son to be seen
at a clinic, or hospital for a medical exam to check if he has any injuries.
The parents report their worry that something happened to him as well and
note he hasn't been the same since they got him back from the Ministry.

Top Story: Shaken Baby News video on CHEKTV.

If what the parents say is true, this constitutes one of the biggest cases of
negligence and liability that the province has ever undertaken, on par
with the death of Matthew Vaudreuil, five years old.
Read the missing chapter, in the print version, What the Ministry Did
After Matthew Died for some real insight into decision-making control in
child protection, to see how little things have changed and how these things
really work in BC, decade after decade.

Let's do the math here, the infant is in foster care, the BC government's
Ministry of Children & Family Development is his legal guardian. They return
the child to his parents, who were considered unable to care for him, at least
until the emergency occurred with the other child. MCFD apparently calls the
parents up, telling them they need to place their son elsewhere. So, what
happens: according to the parents, MCFD sent the baby boy home to his
parents, who reportedly told them to get him checked out at the hospital,
or clinic for any injuries. Here he is, he's all yours.

Can you just imagine what might have happened to these
parents if they took their child to the hospital and injuries were
found? Who do you think would be blamed? MCFD? The foster parents?
If you believe that, I've got some lovely swamp for sale in Florida for you.
It would be the parents, of course. Kind of begs the question,
are there more of these kinds of situations?

At this point, there must be a parallel investigation conducted into
the entire MCFD decision-making process and who the parties involved were
who called the shots in this whole situation. This includes the Executive
Leadership team. Enough is enough.

The results of this investigation must be reported publically, nothing less
will do in the interest of the children and parents involved. It is in the public
interest to ensure that someone outside of MCFD conducts the investigation.
They are incapable of effectively investigating themselves, in the same way
that the police are not credible, nor able to be counted on to do so in a fair
and unbiased, or self-interested way.

It is time for a comprehensive review of the decision-making process
regarding child protection placements of children. Social workers are the first
to get the blame, have a gag order on them and are often the last ones
calling the shots, but have to live with the results and consequences.
No more, its time for the truth to come out.

Foster parents under investigation in possible 'shaken baby' case

Police probe alleged shaking of infant
Brain injury in 10-week-old foster baby likely an assault,
investigators say
By Louise Dickson. Victoria Times Colonist.

Abashed minister admits error in censoring report
Privacy watchdog 'perplexed' by omissions in report on childhood sex abuse treatments. Lindsay Kines Times Colonist. November 05, 2008.

The B.C. Children's Ministry was wrong to censor a critical report on its sexual abuse treatment program before releasing it to the Time Colonist last year, an independent watchdog has found.

Even if it had been allowed, Loukidelis said the ministry didn't use the exception properly. He called it "perplexing" that the ministry chose to blank out negative comments, while leaving positive and neutral comments untouched.
"The result would leave a reader with the impression that the report was more positive than it actually was when read in full..."

The Times Colonist filed a complaint with Loukidelis last year after getting a censored version of the report from government, and obtaining an uncensored copy from a source. A comparison of the two documents showed that government had blanked out comments that agencies working with sexually abused children "were unanimous in their view that the program funding is insufficient," or that there was a "pervasive view among providers that the program has been neglected by government decision-makers over the past several years."

FOI cover up, or isolated mistake - your call Paul Willcocks: Paying Attention. Tuesday, November 11, 2008.

Office of the Information & Privacy Commissioner - David Loukidelis Investigation Report F08-03: Ministry of Children & Family Development. November 4, 2008.

Loukidelis stated the Ministry believed they made an "understandable mistake," he further noted that "none of the evidence clearly establishes that the Ministry's head [in this case Deputy Minister Lesley Du Toit] considered the exercise of discretion in deciding to rely on s.13(1)to withhold information , as opposed to waiving that section and releasing the information, and if the head did exercise discretion, on what basis."

An opaque kind of transparency Sean Holman. Public Eye Online. May 02, 2007.

Writes Ms. du Toit, "to the extent that it is possible within law, MCFD and all service providers will be fully transparent with regard to plans, funding and achievement of principles and goals."
But a freedom of information request for the memo blanked-out any mention of her meeting with Premier Gordon Campbell, her intention to downsize the ministry's headquarters staff and instructions that managers must be at least 90 percent supportive of her restructuring plans.

Ten percent dissent okay with du Toit! Sean Holman. Public Eye Online.

In an email, sent to executive team members on January 28, deputy minister Lesley du Toit writes "if any of your managers…are not 90% of the way there and able to be genuinely positive and facilitating of change, then be very sure that you do not appoint them in this new structure."

I have held discussions with both the Premier and Minister on this matter and will have one more discussion with the minister before the 6th. At our meeting on the 6th will spend most of our time on discussing the regionalization of MCFD's services, decision-making, and community engagement. This will include how we intend to proceed with self governance in relation to Aboriginal services.

MCFD provincial office will logically over the next 4 years be downsized as we move to full regionalization. Therefore, please keep your teams lean and mean so that we do not end up having to move endless people later or find them new positions.

The Prairie Invasion Sean Holman. Public Eye Online.

Deputy minister Lesley Du Toit announces Marilyn Hedlund (pg. 5):

I am very pleased to announce the appointment of Marilyn Hedlund as Provincial Director of Child Welfare. Marilyn will serve as the statutory officer designated by the Minister, under the Child, Family and Community Service Act and Adoption Act.

Next thing we know, Marilyn Hedlund is no longer the Provincal Director, now she is the Assistant Deputy Minister for Early Education.

Must have missed a step in there, when did she stop being Director? Who is the current one? Was the current one involved in the decisions made in the cases mentioned above?

Approved and Ordered March 6, 2008
ORDER IN COUNCIL 130 Statutory Authority: Public Service, s. 12 Marilyn Hedlund is appointed Assistant Deputy Minister, Ministry of Children and Family Development.

Contact the Ministry of Children & Family Development

LESLEY DU TOIT PO BOX 9721 STN PROV GOVT VICTORIA BC V8W 9S2
E-mail: MCF.DeputyMinistersOffice@gov.bc.ca

Minister Tom Christensen E-mail: tom.christensen.mla@leg.bc.ca PO Box 9057, Stn Prov Govt Victoria, BC V8W 9E2 Phone: 250 387-9699Fax: 250 387-9722

If you have a story you want to tell, contact:

Nicholas Simons, MCFD Opposition Critic

E-mail: nicholas.simons.mla@leg.bc.ca

Tel: 250 387-3655; Fax: 250 387-4680

Toll free: 1 866 373-0792