What makes the situation even worse is that in many cases, parents were advised to relinquish their guardianship to the province in order to secure life-saving 'care' for their children.
'Greg' is one father who told his story to the CBC. On the day of his daughter's 16th birthday, 'Greg' (not his real name) regained his parental rights. He immediately telephoned the facility housing his daughter to speak with her. That's when he found out that his daughter had been missing for months. Beside himself with worry, Greg finally tracked her down - she had become addicted to crack cocaine and had fallen under the control of a pimp.
Greg explained that he was encouraged by health professionals to give up his parental rights so his daughter could be treated at Wood Street Centre, a secure facility in Truro, N.S., for children in provincial care. Suffering from mental health issues, she had been cutting herself and running away from home by the time she was 12.
Greg described how he came to relinquish parental rights to his daughter: "(The local children's health centre) gave me information of how to do it and then it was me making the phone call to the agency, and then going in the next day bawling my head off, not wanting to sign a piece of paper," Greg said. "But it was the only way I could get my daughter help, where they could stabilize her."
Nova Scotia isn't the only Canadian province where parents raising children with high needs have had to relinquish their parental rights in order to secure care. In 2005, the Ontario Ombudsman published the report Between a Rock and a Hard Place. The report detailed the tragic stories of six Ontario families forced to give up their children to the province in a trade to obtain necessary residential care.
The situation is still ongoing in Ontario. Here's the most recent case update from the Ombudsman's Office:
Investigation update: Even 12 years after the publication of this report, our Office continues to receive complaints from parents of children with severe special needs who are told that the only way they can obtain residential care for them is to surrender custody to children’s aid societies. We received 2 such complaints in 2016-2017. One was resolved, and we continue to follow up on the second.
The first case involved an 11-year-old boy with complex special needs who was under a temporary care agreement with a children’s aid society when his mother was told she would have to surrender custody permanently to continue to access special services for him. After our intervention, the Ministry confirmed that the proper procedure was not followed, and it initiated a review of all similar temporary care agreements in the region. It also expedited the mother’s application for complex special needs funding for the boy.
In the second case, the family of a 16-year-old boy with an intellectual disability and bipolar disorder also had a temporary care agreement with a children’s aid society. The agreement had ended in 2015, but the boy’s family stated they were in crisis and were not receiving sufficient supports. Our office flagged the case to Ministry staff who confirmed children’s aid society officials had investigated but identified no child protection issues. They have since been approved for Special Services at Home funding and for out-of-home supports. We continue to follow up with the Ministry on this case.
The Ontario Ombudsman has stated unequivocally that 'no parent should be forced to give up custody of a child'.
But there are families in every community worldwide raising children who have complex needs. One thing is for sure - they cannot do it alone.
Some excellent clinicians know this and together with families, have become innovators. Ironically, the best program to support children with developmental disabilities and mental health originated in Nova Scotia. It's called Strongest Families. Trained telephone coaches are available on flexible hours to teach and support parents who struggle to stabilize their child's behaviour. It's a perfect example of evidence-based help that is proven to keep families strong and together.
Families need to be supported in partnership with governments and with communities to raise their children. Policies and programs should reflect a network approach with parents as the anchor of love and family. There's no excuse for children going missing from youth residential treatment facilities. If they do run away, families should be made aware immediately. The bottom line is that families should never be forced to trade guardianship for care.
Some excellent clinicians know this and together with families, have become innovators. Ironically, the best program to support children with developmental disabilities and mental health originated in Nova Scotia. It's called Strongest Families. Trained telephone coaches are available on flexible hours to teach and support parents who struggle to stabilize their child's behaviour. It's a perfect example of evidence-based help that is proven to keep families strong and together.
Families need to be supported in partnership with governments and with communities to raise their children. Policies and programs should reflect a network approach with parents as the anchor of love and family. There's no excuse for children going missing from youth residential treatment facilities. If they do run away, families should be made aware immediately. The bottom line is that families should never be forced to trade guardianship for care.
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