theQuestion: Do the recent damning reports and teen deaths indicate a failure by the Ministry of Children and Family Development?*
Blame should turn to shame for those playing politics over the immense challenge of keeping children and youth safe in government care. The behaviour of BC NDP MLAs in the legislature this session — following a series of teen deaths involving youth recently aged-out of government care — has been revolting.
The NDP’s attempt to lay blame on the BC Liberals proves yet again the opposition knows no bounds in capitalizing on tragedy and shall pass up no opportunity to vilify Premier Christy Clark and Stephanie Cadieux, the Minister of Children and Family Development.
B.C.’s at-risk children and youth deserve more from MLAs than cheers and desk-thumping. They also deserve more than what appears to be a barrage of attacks on government from partisan-laced reports issued by Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, B.C.’s first Representative for Children and Youth. She was appointed in 2006 and is nearing the end of her second five-year term. The representative is an independent officer of the legislature and the position was created from a key recommendation in the Hughes review of the Child Protection System.
In his recommendation, Hughes cautioned that it is “unusual to have an external body overseeing the functioning of a government ministry” and the representative should only have the power to recommend “rather than order” change. The representative is “not intended to replace or oppose government decision-making.”
Nevertheless, opposing the government seems to be exactly what Turpel-Lafond is doing — backed by compatriots in the New Democratic caucus. Both level blistering attacks against the BC Liberals — and the NDP never acknowledge the gains made in the system. These include a large increase in child-protection workers and the lowest level of children in care in almost 20 years.
Considering Turpel-Lafond’s reports and the NDP attacks it is hard to follow the news and not form the opinion that this ministry is failing to protect children in government care. However, one must bear in mind that no government could ever be equipped to achieve complete success in this area.
The first responsibility for child protection falls with parents and family. If the state must step in, it should be only as a last resort. Even then, state responsibility ends when the child ages-out at 19. There is no real measure of success, only the mitigation of tragedy.