ASSESSING SOCIAL WORKERS

In tribute to Ray Ferris I will be re-posting some of his insightful and helpful articles. 

BASIC PRINCIPLES BY WHICH TO ASSESS SOCIAL WORKERS by Ray Ferris

If you want to assess the social workers properly then you need to go back to basic principles. This is what I always start off with and when you do that the matters usually become quite clear. The basic mandate of child protection is to ensure that a child can be made safe at home, or in alternative care. This principle is firmly embodied in the CF&CSA and there are many admonitions to extend help to parents in making sure their children are protected. If we look at what happened to Derek Hoare in the light of these principles, we can quickly see that the director was in dire dereliction of his duty.  

THE BASIC MANDATE OF CHILDREN PROTECTION

Ayn climbed a fence and was missing for a short while, they rushed in to remove her. There can be no doubt that she was at a small risk for an hour or two. This was unforeseeable and could just as easily happen in a foster home. It was in no way due to negligent or irresponsible parenting. 

What the social worker should have done is to sit down with the father and do an in-depth assessment as to what help could be given to make the home safer. It was a simple physical situation. They could have helped him to build a higher fence and they could have offered him some relief help. Something practical. He did not need a psychic re-tread. 

They would have had to spend some money, but not nearly as much as they are spending in the foster home. It has been almost two full years to date. Thousands of dollars to make sure Ayn developed anxiety disorders and a feeling of abandonment.

The ignorance and stupidity exhibited was so severe that it certainly makes one think of malice. Among all the people involved, did not one of them know about attachment deficit disorders, or the mandate to offer assistance? It makes one wonder about malice.

Derek is dad to three children, two of whom live with Autism. He was primary caregiver. One afternoon his autistic daughter Ayn climbed over a backyard fence. When he noticed he called 911 and Ayn was missing for two hours until police found her in a neighbour’s yard. Ayn was seized by child protection and what could have been settled amicably and wisely, turned into a travesty lasting 3 years. Yes, 3 yrs.

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Ray passed away on Dec. 4, 2019 at the age of 90. After a career in civil service in the care and protection of children, Ray retired and championed the rights of children, parents and foster parents who were challenged by government policies and practice. He was generous with counsel to lawyers, MLAs and advocates. He wrote the book, ‘The Art of Child Protection,’ a practical guide for social workers to make best decisions in the interest of children. In the following days, the posts will be material written by Ray Ferris that appeared in my GPS site.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE

ISN'T SHE A BEAUTY?

During the past 10 years, an average of 271 children in government care have been adopted annually in B.C. Many are of school age and many are siblings who should stay together. The Government of British Columbia proclaimed November as Adoption Awareness Month. The hope is to raise awareness about children in care who are waiting for adoptive homes, and also to recognize adoption as a valued way to build a family. Perhaps you know children whose parents perished in some unfortunate way or who were incapable of caring for their children, and therefore you see the worth of an adoptive family. I do. However, I have a hefty concern about Directors with the Ministry of Children and Family Development who pursue permanent care of children when to reasonable and informed people this seems absurdly excessive and unambiguously mistaken.

OHHH! DEREK MUST LONG TO HOLD AYN AGAIN

I am a grandfather of five, three boys and two girls. The oldest girl is eleven and her two brothers are nine and seven. Their cousins are a boy soon to be seven, and a girl who is four. The four year old comes to our home twice each week so her mom can go to work for those days. I hug each child when we see one another. They permit me to do that, and they seem to enjoy the caress of attentive love. That littlest one, four years old is at a rewarding stage for me. She loves to be cuddled. She curls on my lap and snuggles. We look into one another’s eyes and call each other outlandish funny names. We play eye spy with my little eye. We paint, we read, we watch cartoons. And she may sit for hours on the floor with a doll house and a castle of plastic and little synthetic people and carry on true to life conversations, until she says something out of character like, “just get on with it.” To which I have said, “Did you just say “Get on with it” and she has replied, “No she did,” her finger pointing to one of the little people.

Ayn at play

Derek must long to wrap his arms around his girl, to see her eyes, and the soft smile on her lips, to hear her laugh, to hear the sound of her voice.” He must miss the touch of her skin. The physical longing for his own daughter of the same substance as himself must at times be unbearable.

THE MYTH OF SYSTEMS FAILURES by Ray Ferris / 589

Ray Ferris is a frequent commentator and occasional post writer here. Ray speaks and writes from a vast experience of 31 years in public service in general public welfare and child welfare, child protection, as a social worker, district supervisor, work among aboriginal peoples, long term foster care supervisor, family court coordinator, director of alcohol and drug counselling. Ray is the author of 'The Art of Child Protection'. He is a decided critic of aspects of MCFD policy as exemplified by the manner in which the Bayne family were treated these past four years. He has written today's piece.

THE MYTH OF SYSTEMS FAILURES
Whenever a new tragedy befalls some poor child in this province, how often do we hear the explanation expressed that “the system” failed little Cherie. Or poor Matthew seems to have fallen through the cracks in the system. How very, very convenient that we can always find this convenient “system” that we can blame. This nondescript entity which seems to have a life of its own and it has nothing much to do with people.