SPECIFIC CASES
by Ray Ferris, (This piece is one of a series Ray will write here. )
I think perhaps
that the best way to illustrate some of the problems in the protection services
is to look at some specific cases in which the practice inside and outside the
courts has wandered far away from what was intended by the members of the
legislative assembly when they enacted the Child, Family and Community Services Act or CF&CSA.
Our current
system is based on the clauses of the CF&CSA. This act, for all its flaws,
does have some good principles. Some are set out as guidelines and others as
statutory requirements. We are reminded that the parents are the ones who bear
primary responsibility and if they can make their children safe at home, then
every help must be given to do so. Kinship contact must be maintained and, when
care becomes necessary, that priority must be given to placement with
relatives.
