DID CHRISTY CLARK READ MY LETTER? PROBABLY NOT!

This is the letter I sent to Christy Clark's office over one year ago. Numerous other advocates did the same. Ayn Van Dyk is still in foster care under direction of the Ministry of Children and Family Development. There is a possibility of her being returned to her daddy this year. It's an awful punishment for an autistic girl for wandering from her back yard, and a terrible penalty to impose on a dad for not seeing her leave. She was found 3 hours later.

A RESPONSE FROM DOUG HUGHES

Doug Hughes, Dir Child Welfare

Here is a reply to one of my recent letters to government officials asking for consideration of the Ayn Van Dyk case. It comes from Doug Hughes, the Provincial Director of Child Welfare, and it is written as an official response on behalf of Premier Christy Clark and Minister of Children, Honourable Mary McNeil, though I wrote to each of them separately. So this response can be viewed as the shared perspective of the highest ranking bureaucrats that can relate to the ‘freedom’ of Ayn Van Dyk. If you are dropping in to the blog uninformed, then please know that Ayn is an autistic nine year old who was removed by MCFD following a 3-hour absence from her father’s care. She was playing in her back yard, climbed a fence when daddy wasn’t watching, found a neighbour’s back yard and played there. That was 5 ½ months ago, June 16^th to be precise.  

YOU MAY WANT TO ASK HON. MARY MCNEIL TO HELP US / 562

Hon. Mary McNeil

When Premier Christy Clark announced the new cabinet, I happily blogged the news with you on March 14, 2011 that Mary McNeil had been elevated to the position of Minister of MCFD ('NEWS RELEASE - NEW MCFD MINISTER). Our optimism at a new chapter for child welfare and child protection and family development jumped higher when other announcements followed as I indicated on June 1, 2011. The new Deputy Minister MCFD is Stephen Brown and the re-instituted position of Provincial Director of Child Welfare was filled by Doug Hughes (another Doug Hughes post), (and another Stephen Brown post). This has seemed to be a team that desires to work in cooperation with the Advocate for Children and Youth, Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond.  I trust that will be true and profitable for the youth of this province. What we need now, is some evidence that these officials are paying attention to what truly counts, compassionate and effective front line work that carefully preserves families while simultaneously protecting vulnerable children. Because there are numerous cases including the Baynes, that point to the need for reform to this Ministry, you may want to communicate with Hon. Mary McNeil in a courteous and informative manner.

CHILD PROTECTION WORK IS DEMANDING / 543

Expeditiously investigate concerns. Empathetically communicate with parents. Absolutely protect vulnerable children. Committedly try to stabilize a family. Compassionately assist parents.

No one says that the child protection worker’s job is an easy one. The CP worker is mandated not merely to protect children but to enhance their life quality as well as to strengthen families, including perhaps the families from which children have been removed.

How quickly a CP worker adjusts to the demanding rigor of the job is uncertain. It is documented however, that there has been much difficulty for many years in recruiting and retaining competent child protection workers.

The End of Compassion and the Triumph of Adversarialism / 510

The Federation Press

This is Good Friday, so named because of what transpired as Jesus, the Son of God expired on a Roman instrument for capital punishment. Western Christians term it "good" whereas Eastern Orthodox Christians refer to this sacred day as "Great and Holy Friday."

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A ministry culture that does not grasp the vital interplay between ethics and power, which mistakes policy and court orders for good practice, which misidentifies management techniques for wisdom, and which fails to keep in mind that the measure of a social service ministry is its compassion, condemns itself to social vilification and to judicial inquiry if not full redesign.

DOUG HUGHES - NEW DIRECTOR OF CHILD WELFARE / 509

On March 31, 2011 Mary McNeil, the new Minister of Children and Family Development re-established the position of provincial director of child welfare by announcing the appointment of Doug Hughes as the new Provincial Director of Child Welfare. She did this in order to provide greater accountability across the province and improve child protection practice.

In so doing she has effectively reversed the decision of former children's minister Mary Polak and her ex-deputy Lesley du Toit, who abolished the position in 2008.  Doug Hughes, currently an assistant deputy minister with the ministry’s Interior region, holds a master’s degree in social work from the University of Calgary.