Calls to change B.C.s child protection system continue in wake of horrific neglect case

There are growing calls for an overhaul of British Columbia's child protection system after a horrific case of neglect.

Warning: some readers may find this story upsetting

A year later, the message is the same.

B.C.’s child protection system needs an overhaul.

“A significant overhaul,” emphasized Jennifer Charlesworth, the Representative for Children and Youth.

“The system right now is very siloed. People are not communicating. They’re not collaborating,” she explained.

“We shouldn’t be walking people to the ledge. We should be walking people to a better outcome,” said the representative, who called for extensive change last year in her report, “Don’t Look Away.”

Last week, CTV News reported on an investigation that outlined the failures of authorities to protect three young children from Fort St. John and B.C.’s Interior, in a disturbing case of neglect.

Despite repeated calls to social services, it was only when the children’s parents contacted the ministry themselves in December 2023 that the siblings were finally taken into care.

Relatives, who can’t be identified to protect the children, described the children as “feral” when first apprehended.

They said the kids were non-verbal, not potty-trained and eating their own feces. Relatives said the kids had been severely neglected and locked in their rooms daily.

“There’s still some really hard days. Every day can still be hard,” said the children’s legal guardian, who is also a relative.

The question now is, could ministry mistakes lead to a similar tragedy?

“Based on the additional checks and balances that have been established and the expectations, I would say, no, it is much less likely that would happen now … The caveat being it’s also dependant on staff being able to follow through,” Charlesworth said.

And staffing is a big concern.

She said B.C. is short hundreds of social workers.

“There are significant vacancies around the province and it’s not that there isn’t effort being made to recruit people,” she explained.

Minister of Children and Family Development Jodie Wickens was not available for an interview.

In a statement, she said: “Front-line workers are essential to the work we are doing to better support children and youth to access the supports and services they need to be safe and thrive. These jobs are some of the hardest and complex in B.C., and we are working hard to strengthen our workforce. Despite global labour shortages across sectors, we’ve seen a nearly 20-per-cent increase in frontline staffing in the last two years.”

Charlesworth also told CTV News that while the child protection system must continue to shift its focus to prevention, there have been improvements.

For example, in the case of the three siblings, repeated calls to authorities were not looked at as a whole, but rather in isolation.

“Now, when there’s more than one call within a certain period of time – or multiple calls – then it’s required to go up from the front-line worker to a team leader for further review,” she said.

The minister agrees that significant change is needed.

“We are working across government and with all our partners toward a renewed model of child well-being that focuses on prevention, care and supporting families before they find themselves in crisis,” Wickens said in her statement.

“And we are working in partnership and collaboration with First Nations to continue the implementation of B.C.’s historic legislation and resume jurisdiction back to First Nations for their children and families.”

Her ministry said that in response to the “Don’t Look Away” report, the ministry is “developing an outcomes-based framework for measurement and accountability to make sure that actions taken are working to improve the lives of the most vulnerable children and families.”

Charlesworth’s office receives an alarming number of calls about children in care or who have received services in the last year and have faced critical or life altering injuries.

“Last year, it was, on average, about 250 a month of those critical injuries … now, we’re getting about 265, 270, sometimes up to 300 a month,” she said.

Though better reporting may account for some of the increase, she explained the injuries include everything from self-harm to severe physical or sexual abuse and children being harmed by caregivers or foster parents.

“Also included in there is the death of a parent or a sibling … A staggering number of children are losing their parents to the toxic drug supply or their significant caregivers, and that is life-altering in our view,” said Charlesworth.

Meanwhile, when asked, Charlesworth said her biggest concern for children in B.C. right now is violence.

“It is the number one lifetime issue that the children we see through our reports, have seen in their lives,” she said.