FAMILY AUTONOMY, CHILD PROTECTION & PARENTAL RIGHTS (part 1 of 3)

The family is the primary social institution. The family is the primary conservator and transmitter of values, beliefs and traditions. Conservation of family autonomy should be among the most important objectives of provincial and federal governments. This commitment must become evident to Members of the Legislative Assembly of B.C. and to the Ministry of Children and Family Development and to Educators and to Law Enforcement that any intervention into family is like an invasion into its sanctity because it endangers family customs and ideals? Furthermore, parental liberty is fundamental to the concept and function of family.

CONTROVERSIES AROUND CHILD PROTECTION

How many children living in safe and blameless homes with dependable and competent parents are hurt in all manner of accidental ways as they sleep, play, eat, explore, experiment alone or with friends or with their parents?  

An unidentified baby, a sink, a tap ?????

On my way home last night I heard a radio news report of a young mother whose 3-month old daughter was scalded during her bath when she flailed and struck the hot water tap. The baby is suffering from first and second degree burns on her lower extremities. She was being bathed in the kitchen sink. There will be so many questions to ask and answer. The young mom will be distraught. Do you trust the police and the Ministry of Children child protection division to make the correct determinations? What will you think if they take that little girl away from her parents?

The ways by which child protection is managed in British Columbia arouses strong emotions and passionate controversy. Decisions about children and parents create ethical tensions on a weekly if not daily basis.

AN OPEN LETTER TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATURE – PART 1of5 / 563

Ray Ferris is my guest writer for the next five GPS posts. He retired after a career that included significant years with the MCFD. In five parts this will be the substance of a letter already sent to specific officers of the government and offered publicly now using the Bayne Case to expose flaws and remedies in the child protection system. Here is part one of his letter.



THE BAYNE CASE AS A GRAPHIC EXAMPLE OF FLAWS – PART 1
My purpose in writing to you is to draw your attention to the facts in a particular case and in some related cases in order to illustrate a number of serious problems in the child protection system. Some of these problems are systemic and others are not. Where the problem is systemic, I offer some suggested remedies that can be tried. I think that there are possible remedies for the non-systemic problems, but they are deep-seated and difficult to correct. It can be noted that non-systemic problems cannot by remedied by making administrative or systemic changes. This is one of the reasons why the past systemic changes recommended by people like Gove and Hughes have not worked and have in many respects simply created new problems.