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VICTORIA – Children and Family Development Minister Tom Christensen issued the following statement in response to the release of the Child and Youth Officer Section 6 Report:
“I believe the Child and Youth Officer’s Section 6 Report is a balanced and thoughtful presentation of circumstances that occurred four years ago.
“I would encourage people to read the full report to gain a fuller understanding of the complex work that social workers, the coroner’s office and others involved in an investigation undertake.
“As the report suggests, the agencies and individuals referenced acted in good faith. However, the report also notes problems associated with the sharing of key information and some confusion relating to roles and responsibilities. Some of these problems have been previously identified from earlier reviews of this case and, in response, the ministry has changed its practices on several fronts.
“Since 2003, there has been a direct link between the child death review unit at the coroner’s office and the Ministry of Children and Family Development, which provides a direct working relationship and avenue for information sharing. The ministry is examining how best to strengthen a Memorandum of Understanding between the ministry and coroner’s office and put a process in place to ensure all staff at MCFD, staff in Aboriginal agencies and the coroner’s office are aware of their duty to share information.
“The issue of information-sharing is one that has been referenced in other external review processes. I am concerned that there is insufficient understanding of the scope of the duty to report and we will be taking immediate action to remind professionals of the importance of this duty where child welfare issues are concerned.
“A great deal more clarity exists today involving the roles and responsibilities of senior ministry staff. Up until July of 2002, there was one designated director of child protection in the province. There are now designated directors in each region of the province, so more decisions are made at the regional level, often in consultation with the provincial director. The Hughes Report addressed this issue and indicated we are now striking the right balance.
“In response to the report’s key recommendation, to establish a system of multi-agency child death teams, we are accepting of the recommendation. To a large extent, MCFD now does this but will look to formalize the process. On a case-by-case basis, as circumstances arise, we draw on the appropriate agencies to assess information and ensure the safety and well-being of any children or siblings who may be at risk, and identify what immediate supports or intervention may be necessary. We will consult with the coroner’s office, police and other agencies to determine how best to move this process forward. Likewise, we will review this recommendation with the Child Representative to determine how this fits with their mandate.
“The Ministry of Children and Development remains committed to ongoing review of practices to ensure that best practices are followed in our work with children and families.
“The ministry’s budget was increased by $80 million and $273 million in the past two years to carry out the mandate to protect the health, safety and well-being of B.C. children. $100 million has been earmarked over the next three years to give government the flexibility to respond to recommendations from the current external reviews.
“The safety of children is always the key consideration in our decision-making and, it should be noted, the ministry responds to over 30,000 reports of children in need of protection each year and in the overwhelming majority, the intervention is successful.”
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