who:
Myself, Brothers, and foster children
What:
Were forced into an expedited adoption to suit the Ministry’s for Family and Children’s needs, along with the death, maltreatment and abandonment of many others over decades.
“Increased Risk Groups | Youth.Gov.” Youth.Gov, 2020, youth.gov/youth-topics/youth-suicide- prevention/increased-risk-groups.
Parsons, Paige. “In Depth: Serenity — A Life Cut Short.” Www.Cbc.Ca, 2020, newsinteractives.cbc.ca/longform/serenity-longform-investigation-feature.
Sherlock, Tracy. “Number of B.C. Kids-in-Care Deaths, Critical Injuries Jump Dramatically.” Vancouversun, 10 Feb. 2017, vancouversun.com/news/local-news/number-of-b-c-kids-in-care-deaths-critical-injuries-jump-dramatically.
“Statistics – Children Involved with the Ministry of Children & Family Development – Province of British Columbia.” Government of Canada, 1 Apr. 2021, www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/family-social-supports/data-monitoring-quality-assurance/reporting-monitoring/statistics.
Sterritt, Angela. “Other Deaths Linked to B.C. Aboriginal Agency Running Group Home Where Indigenous Teen Died.” Www.Cbc.Ca, 10 Nov. 2020, www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/agency-runs-group-home-indigenous-teen-died-in-bleak-track-record-1.5774854.
When :
The early 2000s to current times, and decades before.
Stewart, Riksen. “Deaths of Children in Government Care Skyrocket in Canada.” World Socialist Web Site, 6 Sept. 2017, www.wsws.org/en/articles/2017/09/06/cafc-s06.html.
Where :
Nanaimo, BC and the entire nation of Canada
Why:
In an attempt to save the agency’s reputation and show social workers were performing the duties required of them, a wave of random home checks was done on children throughout the Vancouver Island foster region. Hundreds of children were found to be in poor living conditions at the best of times. To stop media coverage of the events, the Ministry hid behind privacy laws and media publication bans. Biological parents without visitation rights were not informed. As a backup plan, the Ministry also moved many children, some of whom merely swapped from one home to another. On paper, the children had been rescued, yet, in reality, they had only been shuffled like a deck of cards, stuck in the same old box. My brothers and I were grouped into this operation to expedite the process of adoption, so our biological parents could never regain custody.
Stewart, Riksen. “Deaths of Children in Government Care Skyrocket in Canada.” World Socialist Web Site, 6 Sept. 2017, www.wsws.org/en/articles/2017/09/06/cafc-s06.html.
How:
The Ministry has lost federal funding and misuses what little they have. Their staff are undertrained and underqualified. The Ministry is known to withhold or misuse resources to save money, leading to poorly qualified caregivers, low-quality institutions, and minimal resources for foster children.
Stewart, Riksen. “Deaths of Children in Government Care Skyrocket in Canada.” World Socialist Web Site, 6 Sept. 2017, www.wsws.org/en/articles/2017/09/06/cafc-s06.html.