Friday, December 12, 2008

It's Time for Real Leadership and Action: No More BS for BC's Broken Child Welfare System

2008 Progress Report on the Implementation of the Recommendations of the BC Children & Youth Review
("Hughes Review"). Representative for Children & Youth.

December 11, 2008
Increased Collaboration, Accountability Essential in Tough Economic Times

The need for intensified government commitment to completing all of the Hughes recommendations is even more essential in challenging economic times, B.C.’s Representative for Children and Youth said today.

VIDEO: Heather Robinson reports: B.C.'s child protection system still broken: watchdog (Runs 1:12) CBC News.

Government still has not completed child-welfare changes, children's representative says
Victoria Times Colonist. Lindsay Kines, December 11, 2008.

Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond said today the children’s ministry has yet to complete 15 key recommendations in the damning review by Ted Hughes released more than two years ago.

“It’s concerning to me that the two recommendations that have little or no progress are among the most important in the Hughes Review,” she said in a news release.

Hughes had recommended that government transfer responsibilities to the regions and aboriginal authorities. He also wanted the ministry to do an external review of key programs, including kith-and-kin agreements.

B.C. failing on child protection: Watchdog
The Canadian Press. CTV. Thu Dec. 11 2008. Excerpts:

VICTORIA — B.C.'s children's watchdog accused the provincial government of spending more time working on plans to protect vulnerable children than actually implementing programs to protect them.

Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond said Thursday the government is moving too slowly when it comes to fulfilling its promise to implement 62 recommendations from an April 2006 report that called for stability in British Columbia's child welfare system.

"We have significant challenges in British Columbia," she said. "When I engage with the ministry (of Children and Family Development), with the government, and say, `could you please tell me where you think you're going with this for the longer term?' I'm not hearing very much back."

Turpel-Lafond said she cannot understand why the government has not made significant progress on the Hughes report.

She said the government has made little progress in transferring child welfare responsibilities to regions and aboriginal authorities, and it has not developed a system of external evaluation of child service programs.

[MCFD Minister] Christensen said he disagreed with Turpel-Lafond's assessment that the children's ministry is spending more time making plans than implementing programs.

"As I talk to some of the recipients of our services around the province, what they are telling me is they are encouraged by the direction they see the ministry going," he said. "At the end of the day that's what's important, that we demonstrate that outcomes for children are improving."

Christensen: "I am confident this ministry is on the right path."
Watchdog takes another bite
Sean Holman, Public Eye Online. December 11, 2008. Excerpts:

[Christensen:]"I am confident this ministry is on the right path..."

"In respect to the process of establishing regional authorities - that is not a road the ministry is moving down at this point," said Minister Christensen.

And what about Ms. Turpel-Lafond's complaint that her office isn't "consulted regularly when major shifts in policy or changes" are contemplated or conducted? "The representative is an independent officer of the legislature," Minister Christensen responded. "Government is still going to develop policy. Government is still going to set the direction that any ministry of government goes. And certainly we welcome the representative's input and reflection on that."

"But, at the end of the day, government is still going to be making decisions about how it is this ministry should work, how it is other ministries should work, where additional investments should be made, how it is we want to be interacting with First Nations. And I don't think that should surprise anyone. I can't think of another independent officer that is in a position to sort of direct how government should operate."
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From the trenches:

Representative warns children may pay the price of new Liberal cuts
BC Government & Service Employees Union.

"Front line workers see first hand the impact these cuts had on families and children," said Walker.

"I am particularly concerned over reports that the Ministry of Children and Family Development will be looking at "fiscal restraint measures" in the coming weeks," said Walker. "Has the government learned nothing?"

Walker was referring to a memorandum sent by the MCFD Deputy Minister to all employees warning about the steps government might take to cut staff in order to meet new budget reductions.

"I recently had an opportunity to discuss these issues with the Deputy Minister and I look forward to continuing that discussion in the new year," said Walker. "We must all work together to ensure our children are protected."

The BCGEU represents 4,200 employees who work in the Ministry of Children and Family Development and over 10,000 who work in front-line community social service agencies.

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Children’s Ministry requires progressive, clear and decisive leadership in a time of economic uncertainty
BC Association of Social Workers

It is time for some sober second thoughts on the state of BC’s child protection system as we head into an unparalleled economic crisis.

BC is in desperate need of strong, clear and decisive leadership. There is arguably nothing more important than keeping BC’s children safe and it is the paramount legal mandate and moral imperative of the BC government to do so.
The MCFD Deputy Minister’s recent statement that one option for MCFD to address the need for fiscal restraint measures would be not to replace child protection workers who leave by “natural attrition” through retirement or other means, causes us deep concern. This is not the way to strengthen the child welfare system.

BCASW offers these recommendations for the BC government, MCFD and other stakeholders to shore up the child welfare system and to be proactive in planning for the days ahead:

Read more here.
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Federation urges less talk, more action on Hughes Report
BC Federation of Child & Family Service Agencies

The pace of meaningful change for B.C.’s most vulnerable children must speed up significantly to bring the important recommendations of the 2006 Hughes report to life, says the province’s largest coalition of child, youth and family services.

Federation board president Nanette Taylor welcomed Turpel-Lafond’s report this week urging immediate action on all aspects of the B.C. Child and Youth Review (dubbed the Hughes report after its author, retired Justice Ted Hughes). “We echo the concerns of the Representative about whether the Ministry’s current plan has the necessary focus and funding behind it to achieve the changes we all desire, particularly in times of budgetary restraint,” said Taylor.

Charlesworth notes five key concerns in Turpel-Lafond’s report that the Federation shares:

- The need for external evaluation to ensure all services and strategies are effective;
- Lack of oversight and performance measures for increasingly autonomous regions;
- Lack of progress on the aboriginal agenda;
- A lag time of three to five years before a new information system is in place that will improve services and decision-making at all levels;
- The province’s decision to eliminate the position of Provincial Director of Child Welfare, which could impact quality and consistency of services to children.
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Aboriginal children's lives may be getting worse, says child advocate
The Province. Wednesday, November 26, 2008.

Turpel-Lafond ruffles feathers but wins funding
Vancouver Sun. Wednesday, December 03, 2008.

Province too slow on child protection, watchdog says
The Canadian Press. Globe & Mail. December 12, 2008.

The B.C. government is being accused of not moving fast enough on recommendations made almost three years ago on the province's child protection system. A report by Children's Representative Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond said yesterday that the province needs to speed up its work on the recommendations of former judge Ted Hughes. She examined 15 of Mr. Hughes's 62 recommendations, and found none are complete.

B.C.'s child protection system still broken: children's watchdog
CBC News. Canadian Press. Thursday, December 11, 2008.

Comments from BC citizens.

toobusy wrote:Posted 2008/12/11 at 5:45 AM ET

As a child protection worker, I have seen years and years of changes in policy, funding, "new directions" and none of it is suffient. There are high caseloads and Social Workers end of putting out fires rathe than being able to effectively deal with the root cause of the problems.

CaribooRose wrote:Posted 2008/12/12 at 12:45 AM ET

I have noticed a remarkable rise of foster children being adopted out to their grandparents ... sure, that's all well and good but there's a growing group of over-65 grandparent/parents.

Why aren't the children fostered on a Continuing Child in Care Order, to younger foster parents who must ensure the children visit relatives regularly??

A diminishing budget is my opinion.

Fellow Canadian wrote:Posted 2008/12/11 at 10:03 AM ET

To watch the Minister go on about how things are improving shows us that he simply tries to ignore the Child Commissioner. People believe the judge more than they do the Minsiter as the deputy keeps shipping out long memos with her latesrt restructure plans. Te Premier tells great stories abut agreeing with the Hughes report and then does little to implement the recommendations, and kids keep dying .

The Hammer Strikes!! wrote:Posted 2008/12/11 at 5:12 AM ET

Gee it took them how long to figure out what most of us in the field have already been stating for years? Our own personal experience at dealing with this problem with this ministry has now gone on for 10 odd years. Having been bounced from one case worker to another, each having their own philosophy as to how to deal with a given situation where children are put at daily risk in a home filled with drugs, alcohol and physical abuse. The ministry's approach is we have to catch them in the act. So they set up regularly scheduled visitations, where the "parents" put on an academy award performance and clean up just before the appointed workders arrive. Having complained to the workers and following up the chain of command and finally with local MLA, we are back where we started from. The amount of pain and frustration that we, as concerned relatives, have cannot be understated.

A system that is flawed and broken, absolutely. It is no wonder that parents and relatives bypass the laws that are put in place but not enforced and take matters into their own hands. Damn this ministry!!

JoePublic wrote:Posted 2008/12/11at 5:53 AM ET

Over the past decade, it has become obvious that the Gordon Campbell government has no desire nor intention to take care of the vulnerable children of this province.

It is time for a change of government.

p.j.floyd wrote:Posted 2008/12/11 at 6:33 AM ET

Child and Family services in this province have been a dysfunctional mess for at least 40 years. I know that from my own personal experiences. I didn't lose my kids to the system, I raised 3 kids whose biological mother lost them. I was appalled by what I learned. I spent the next 33 years working to improve the system, with limited success.

The government doesn't care because the voters of b.c. don't care. Children and families need affordable housing, affordable day care, access to training, a minimum wage a family can live on, and a community that cares enough to put the needs of families ahead of NHL games and rock concerts and the Olympics.

If you think - as I do - that billions on frills while children are cold and hungry is simply obscene, phone the Premier's office and tell him so. It's free - use the Access B.C. 1-800 number in the Blue pages and tell them to patch you through. I took all my Christmas money this year and gave it to our local food bank, for the same reason. Merry Christmas.
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Contact your MLA, by phone, e-mail, or drop in to their local office and tell them you want action and you want it now for BC's children.

On May 12th 2009, remember to get out and vote for candidates in your ridings who will work hard to support BC's children, vulnerable people and families.

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