My primary purpose for the blog when I began was to expose what I believed was an injustice upon a family with whom I was acquainted, the Baynes.
The writing process required research which has been educational for me. The information has also been disturbing to me.
The unspeakable terror of being accused of harming one's own child when in fact that was untrue, and the confiscation not only of the one child to whom this harm was allegedly done, but all three of one's children was so repugnant that I could not tolerate the thought that we have a Ministry that would condone this and then keep the children for over two years without sorting it out. It is almost three years now.
What I have learned is that conjoined to the removal of children as the first line of solution to suspected abuse or neglect, is a legal establishment comprised of clever, cold-eyed lawyers who defend the actions of Ministry personnel using the files and reports compiled by social workers some of whom have abandoned integrity. What is more troubling to me is that my acquaintances are not a unique case but merely a sample of scores more families whose lives were interrupted or forever altered in British Columbia. Then I discovered that in every province, the governments' initiatives to protect children has resulted in similar miscarriages of rights and freedoms and reputations and privacies. Further, a virtual worldwide pandemic of absurdities within the child welfare programs of nations is destroying families.
I am confounded that our own Minister of Children and Deputy Minister of Children and Ombudsman and ranking Ministry officers, when reviewing the same data to which I have access, are not themselves questioning and speaking to how Child Welfare agencies can fulfill their mandate effectively without leaving these lengthy trails of tragedy and heartache.
This blog, and your hard work, Ron, has been immeasurably helpful in exposing the injustice of child protection as it stands now.
ReplyDeleteIf people in BC can get angry and motivated regarding what they consider corruption in government regarding tax (HST), imagine how angry they would be if they really understood what was happening in child protection. It is only the public's ignorance that allows these great injustices to continue. That ignorance is giving way to knowledge, thanks to blogs such as this, and the dedication of those who really do care about children and families. Thank you, Ron, for all your work, for the Baynes, but also for all families all over the world who suffer similiar injustices.
Child protection is perverted by special interests. Dragging on a case will allow them to rip more money off taxpayers. Elected officials turn a blinde eye as fighting special interests does not serve them well in the next election. This is a hopeless situation until child removal authority is revoked.
ReplyDeleteYour somewhat lengthy and dedicated process of discovery illustrates the primary difficulty of alerting the public in general of the deep and fundamental problems with child protection.
ReplyDeletePeople simply do not believe that problems within the child protection industry are as bad as you portray, until they have personal contact with the system or know of people affected.
Child protection is a simple and nobel concept and is painted as vital. Any temporary removals due to possible error is still viewed as a precaution. It is better safe than sorry.
Permanent, but mistaken removals and adoptions are viewed as exceptionally rare occurrences. As with capital punishment, sometimes errors are made. But on the whole, vastly more children are "saved" than are harmed.
Yes, after my child was taken the most ridiculous untruths were said. Of course they wrote that my child was 'filthy'. I came to learn that all babies taken by MCFD are considered 'filthy' even if they had a bath that day.
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