The Ministry of Children and Family
Services is in the news again. Every few weeks another story breaks. This time
MCFD's regrettable connection may relate to legislation as opposed to case
management. The case? Danny Francis. 18 years old. Dead. By his own hand. That
is enough to grab our attention. Now consider that three other teenage children
also committed suicide within past months, and each one was a ward of the
system. The occasioning factor of their suicides? A couple of them were ageing
out of Ministry care. These have received government care, foster parenting or
financial support, benefits … and with the changing of a calendar date, it's
gone. Now they are gone. The desperation of these young people has to be the
subject of an official inquiry of course, but a few people with a salary will
have to make policy and legislation that better equips children in the CPS
system so they are not overcome by loneliness and hopelessness.
There is so much more to each of these four
youths' stories. Will reviews ever care enough?
