Mandatory Reporting Laws

There is often debate about whether mandatory reporting laws should exist. Should mental health, medical, education and other professionals be required to report cases where they suspect that child abuse is occurring? There have been many examples in the media where mandatory reporters have over reacted to information. In Canada, there is the recent case in Ontario where a child drew a picture of what was thought to be her father holding a gun. This resulted in an over reaction even to the point of the father being arrested.

What does a professional do when an older teenager discloses abuse in a session and then insists that the case not be reported? The child makes a cogent case that reporting will make things worse - what then? These are difficult ethical dilemmas for many professionals.

A court in the United States has shown the damage that can be done when a report is not made. While the case from Oklahoma shows that there were many errors including purposeful deceit, it does make the point that it is up to the child protection authorities to decide on a case, not the mandatory reporter.

In Florida, partially in response to the high profile Sandusky case one suspects, the legislature has now made it possible to levy serious fines on universities for failure to report. The Florida bill goes further according to Tampa Bay Online :

Additionally, the bill makes it mandatory for everyone to report suspected child abuse or neglect, even if the alleged perpetrator is not the child's caregiver. Previously, the public only was required by law to call in a report if a caregiver was responsible. 

 Opponents of mandatory reporting laws feel that they lead to an over reporting of cases and that pressure to err on the side of protecting the agency leads to unnecessary and intrusive actions by child protection authorities. They feel that it results in children coming into care who do not need to be there and thus, destroying families as well as dispersing resources that can be better spent on families that really are abusing their children.

This of course begs the question - if nobody is required to report, then how will cases get known to child welfare? Where is the balance?

They could have lived

The British Columbia Representative for Children and Youth, Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, has yet again delivered a thoughtful critique of a case where children have died who were known the the province's child protection system. The report titled  Honouring Kaitlynne, Max and Cordon: Make Their Voices Heard Now looks at the case of the three children murdered by their father, Allan Schoenborn who now remains in a forensic psychiatric unit having been found not criminally responsible due to a mental illness. The report tells the story of children exposed to domestic violence, untreated mental illness and addictions.

The story is one of multiple involvements that included child protection, mental health and police in what might be seen as poorly coordinated interventions that yielded weak protection for the children. This is a story that is often repeated. We have seen many cases in various jurisdictions where poor communication and poor coordination between agencies have resulted in families not receiving the help needed. The result has been the death of children.

The story also includes situations where data was available but not acted upon. Again, a theme that is familiar to those who have looked at these death reviews.

Turpel-Lafond also notes that child protection in this case failed to consider the domestic violence implications of the case. As she states:

Too often, ministry social workers did not apply a domestic violence lens or use their own domestic violence guidelines in dealing with this family...The children’s mother was sinking into depression, despair and anxiety. She was not given concrete suggestions or strategies or connected with appropriate supports on how to protect her children or how to keep Schoenborn away from the home, except to call police if he showed up. Workers repeatedly told RCY investigators that they had no training in working with families experiencing domestic violence, and this is evidenced in the poor practice and approach they took with the children’s mother. (p.2).

 The lack of coordination can be seen when The Representative states:

The various systems involved with the family were not aware of the severity of Schoenborn’s mental illness and substance abuse because he was not interviewed from these perspectives by police, corrections or child protection. Also, there was very little collaboration or information sharing among these systems. p.3

As was seen in the Matthew John Vaudreuil  case in 1995, also in British Columbia, Turpel-Lafon creates a chart that shows just how many different times child protection, justice and other systems were involved. There was clearly no lack of eyes on the family - what there appears to have been was a lack of effective interventions.

Turpel-Lafond's report is worth reading if only because she also lays out the ways in which the mother of the children behaved in almost classic ways as an abused women. She would recant allegations, seek to have orders lifted and show signs of being enmeshed into the patterns of a sick, abusive husband.

There is also a pattern of multiple child protection workers along with family moving. This meant that there was inconsistent case management. Case management between child protection and the justice system was, at times, also in conflict.

On p. 58 of the report, The Representative sums up the issues stating:

hese children were extremely vulnerable to violence and harm due to the domestic violence in their home, and their father’s untreated mental illness. Countless opportunities to ensure that the children and their mother were safe were missed because of a profound lack of coordination among the child-serving, mental health and criminal justice systems over many years, compounded by glaring failures in child protection practice, and an inability to recognize and assess the extent of the father’s mental illness.

As this report and many that have gone before, note that different systems, child protection, justice, mental health, have different priorities and thus approach cases from those varying perspectives. Unless there is good communication, co-ordinated  case planning and common training on common topics, there will be further failures to protect children.

In my own practice, I come across communication barriers often. The Velasquez review in Alberta highlighted this as a concern and notes that information silos can hamper good child protection. This appears to again be an issue in this review.

The review closes with an appendix that offers 8 steps that should be considered in domestic violence cases:

Keeping Women Safe: Eight critical components of an effective justice response to domestic violence

The following critical components are needed for an effective, specialized response to domestic violence:

1) Managing risk and victim safety – comprehensive, coordinated approach to risk and safety assessment and victim safety planning

2) Offender accountability – appropriate and consistent sentencing, enforcement of protection orders, and accessible treatment for abusers

3) Specialized victim support – comprehensive, proactive, and timely support with outreach and access for marginalized groups

4) Information sharing – consistent, timely information sharing between agencies and with the victim

5) Coordination – coordination and collaboration at all levels among relevant sectors

6) Domestic violence policy – consistent informed approach to charging, prosecution, and offender accountability

7) Use of specialized expertise – dedicated justice system personnel, court time and specialized training

8) Monitoring and evaluation – integral part of all the critical components and a systematic, comprehensive approach to collection, analysis, and publication of statistics across all justice system components

Source: Critical Components Project Team-Light, L., Ruebsaht, G., Turner, D., Novakawski, M., Walsh, W. (2008). Keeping women safe: Eight critical components of an effective justice response to domestic violence.

Human Trafficking - some interesting data

A recent presentation led by Dr. John Winterdyk at Mount Royal University brought forward some interesting data on human trafficking. He noted that it now represents the second or third most profitable crime worldwide. It is the fastest growing crime and represents about $10 billion. It affects about 1 million people per year.

The forms of human trafficking include such things as sexual exploitation, forced labour, domestic servitude, benefit fraud and being made to work in the illicit drug industry (for example being brought to Canada and made to manage a grow operation).

This is a global problem in which technology has assisted in the ease of communication and movement. There is classic economics at work with a supply and demand equation.

There are countries of origin for trafficking; countries of transit and countries of destination. Canada likely is included in the latter two categories.  For many who are trafficked, they may well believe that they are being brought into a country for legitimate purposes only to find otherwise when they have arrived.

In this presentation evening we were offered a shortened version of act 1 of the play, "She has a name". This is a gritty, powerful play that highlights not only the impact of human smuggling on the victims but also on those who are vicariously traumatized by working against this intensely human crime. Excerpts and more details can be found at their website.

When watching the play, you are thrust into the reality that it is very hard for a victim to come forward and report the crime. The fear that they possess is powerful and the ability of society to protect may be wanting. At a conference I attended in May 2011, a worker from a mid east country spoke of trying to rescue trafficked children from China, only to see them returned to China where there was a high probability that they would be re-trafficked.

Dr. Winterdyk, along with Benjamin Perrin and Philip Reichel have published a new book, Human Trafficking: Exploring the international nature, concerns and complexities. It is published  by CRC Press.

Elizabeth Velasquez Case Leads to Changes in Alberta

There have been several stories in the media about the unfortunate death of Elizabeth Velasquez by a person or persons unknown. The Calgary Police Services continue to investigate the death. However, the paternal grandparents have been active in trying to get changes to the child protection system in an effort to reduce the chances of another such death.

As a result of the publicity, an inquiry was held which observed that one of the problems in the system was that information flow was hampered by information and privacy legislation. Confidentiality rules got in the way of child protection knowing all that was going on. This is not a new problem but one that has been seen in a multitude of cases throughout the Western world.

In my own practice where I am doing assessments for cases in the child protection system, I have seen this. I have had agencies and practitioners outright refuse to disclose information even when the client has completed an informed consent. In other cases, data disclosure can take months for release. I have had practitioners simply fail to respond to requests both in writing and by phone.

Child protection is hampered when data is kept in various unconnected information silos. When parents seek to keep information secret (as is the case far too often in child abuse cases) then privacy laws tend to protect the parent and not the child. This is not to say that there should be wide open, unfettered access to private information, but a considered approach with legal safeguards when a child is at risk, is appropriate.

The Government of Alberta seems to be moving in this direction. A report in The Calgary Herald indicates that government is moving in the direction of better information access and more coordinated efforts between relevant agencies. This is good.



It must be remembered that no change in child protection legislation or policy will protect all children or prevent another death. The factors that lead to these deaths are too complex to be accurately predicted all the time. To suggest otherwise is to make a promise that cannot be kept. But the direction that the Alberta government is moving is good and holds promise.

Psychosomatic problems in abused children

In a Swedish study on the connection between somatic issues with children, there was a clear link between these and children who were physically abused. It was more evident when they also witnessed inter personal violence (IPV) on top of the physical abuse. It is of some interest that the issues did not seem to arise from IPV witnessing on its own. The studies results of looking at over 2500 students aged 10, 12 and 15 in 44 different schools showed:

• One in six of the children (16%) had suffered physical abuse or witnessed IPV in the home -- 9% reported just physical abuse, 4% reported IPV alone and 3% reported both.
• Two-thirds of the children (66%) reported at least one psychosomatic symptom and just over a third of these children (35%) reported three symptoms or more.
• The most common symptoms were headache (38%), sleeplessness (36%) and stomach ache (31%).
• 86% of the children who reported that they were physically abused and had witnessed IPV at home reported at least one psychosomatic symptom, with 41% reporting three or more, compared with 17% of the non-abused children.
• 82% of the children who reported physical abuse only reported at least one symptom, with 35% reporting three or more symptoms compared with 17% of the non-abused children.
• There was no significant difference in the symptoms reported by children who did or did not report just IPV.
• When confounding factors, such as chronic conditions, bullying and school performance were taken into account, the odds of a child suffering physical abuse, with or without IPV, was 112% higher (OR 2.12) than a child who was not being abused. When IPV was added into the equation, this rose to 171% higher (OR 2.71)
• The odds for a child suffering physical abuse only was 72% higher (OR 1.72) and the odds for IPV only was 9% higher (OR 1.09).
• Abused children with chronic conditions reported significantly more psychosomatic symptoms than abused children without chronic conditions.

This study echoes previous research that has seen a link between abuse and physical symptom presentation. A Toronto study published in 2011 found a link between child abuse and peptic ulcers in adulthood.

In 2010, researchers in the United States concluded:

Children who have been abused psychologically, physically or sexually are more likely to suffer unexplained abdominal pain and nausea or vomiting than children who have not been abused, a study led by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers concludes.

All of this suggests, of course, that when we see children or adults who present with physical symptoms that may be more somatic in their origins, we should be asking about abuse experiences.

 
References:

Carolina Jernbro, Birgitta Svensson, Ylva Tindberg, Staffan Janson. Multiple psychosomatic symptoms can indicate child physical abuse - results from a study of Swedish schoolchildren. Acta Paediatrica, 2012; 101 (3): 324 DOI:10.1111/j.1651-2227.2011.02518.x

E. Fuller-Thomson, J. Bottoms, S. Brennenstuhl, M. Hurd.Is Childhood Physical Abuse Associated With Peptic Ulcer Disease? Findings From a Population-Based Study. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 2011; DOI:10.1177/0886260510393007

University of North Carolina School of Medicine (2010, March 8). Abused children more likely to suffer unexplained abdominal pain, nausea or vomiting. ScienceDaily. Retrieved February 11, 2012, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­/releases/2010/03/100308170957.htm

Child Abuse Hospitalizations

A study published this week in the American journal Paediatrics has a look at the issue of children who are abused and end up in hospital. This might be seen as a the more probably serious end of the abuse spectrum, although as a a clinician I do see families where they have abused children and avoided getting the child treated. The study did not look at children with suspicious injuries, only those who were coded as abused.

As in most studies of child abuse, it is the youngest children at highest risk. In this case, children under a year were seen as most vulnerable.  Science Daily notes that the study concluded:

They found 4,569 children were hospitalized in the U.S. in 2006 due to serious abuse; 300 of these children died. Children in their first year of life were at highest risk, of being hospitalized, making up 58.2 per 100,000 children in this age group.

The study found the incidence rate to be higher than Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. They also found that there was a correlation between this physical abuse and poverty, although one must bear in mind that the poor have fewer options when it comes to accessing medical services. Thus, that may have brought them more to light.

This study is valuable in that it helps us to see the incidence rate but also a way to think about the rate in comparison to other serious disorders that affect children.

The study will be published in the March 2012 issue of Paediatrics.

Some thoughts on reforming child protection

 This is the major content of a speech I gave February 3, 2012 on reconsidering child protection: 

THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK WITH YOU TONIGHT. IN PARTICULAR, I AM HONOURED TO NOT ONLY BE ASKED BUT ALSO THAT YOU ARE WILLING TO GIVE UP A FRIDAY EVENING.

I AM GLAD YOU ARE HERE BECAUSE I WANT TO ENGAGE YOU IN A CONVERSATION THAT IS NOT NEW BUT IS NEITHER LOUD ENOUGH NOR BROAD ENOUGH. I ALSO WANT TO CHALLENGE YOUR THINKING AND RAISE SOME QUESTIONS THAT MAY HAVE PROBLEMATIC ANSWERS. I ALSO WANT TO INVITE YOU TO A TRADITIONAL CORE VALUE OF SOCIAL WORK – ADVOCACY FOR CHANGE.

TONIGHT, I WANT TO SPEND SOME TIME TALKING ABOUT SOME CORE PROBLEMS WITH CHILD PROTECTION SYSTEMS. THE THESIS I PUT OUT TO YOU THIS EVENING IS THAT WE, AS A COLLECTIVE SOCIETY, ARE UNWILLING AND EVEN PERHAPS, INCAPABLE OF HAVING A SYSTEM THAT CAN BE TRULY SUCCESSFUL IN CREATING CHANGE IN SOCIETY. THAT INCAPACITY IS ROOTED IN THE UNWILLINGNESS.

RATHER, CHILD PROTECTION HAS BECOME THE ORGANIZATION THAT CLEANS UP MESSES THAT SOCIETY DOES NOT WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE EXISTS. FURTHER, WHEN THOSE MESSES BECOME PUBLIC, TYPICALLY AS SENSATIONAL STORIES IN THE MEDIA, WE COLLECTIVELY BECOME OUTRAGED.

REGRETTABLY, THAT OUTRAGE IS NOT ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED PER SE, BUT RATHER THAT IT WAS NOT PREVENTED FROM HAPPENING. IT IS AN OUTRAGE THAT THE UNSEEN BECOMES THE SEEN.

CONSIDER TWO RECENT CASES IN ALBERTA. IN THE PAST FEW WEEKS, WE HAVE SEEN MEDIA COVERAGE OF A 13 YEAR OLD FOSTER CHILD WHO IS ALLEGED TO HAVE SEXUALLY ABUSED YOUNGER CHILDREN IN THE FOSTER HOME. WHAT HAS BEEN FASCINATING ABOUT THAT COVERAGE HAS BEEN THE APPARENT SHOCK THAT A CHILD OF THIS AGE COULD DO THIS. THEN COMES THE OUTCRY THAT THE FOSTER HOME, THE CHILD PROTECTION SYSTEM DID NOT PROPERLY SUPERVISE OR CONTROL THIS BOY.

THIS CASE HELPS US TO SEE HOW NAÏVE THE PUBLIC REALLY IS ABOUT THE COMPLEX CASES THAT CHILD PROTECTION SYSTEMS WORK WITH. RESEARCH ON CHILDREN WHO SEXUALLY ABUSE TELLS US SEVERAL KEY MESSAGES THAT THE MEDIA MISSES:

1.    MOST OF THESE CHILDREN ARE THEMSELVES VICTIMS OF ABUSE.

2.    MOST CHILDREN WHO SEXUALLY ABUSE ARE TREATABLE.

3.    MEDIA COVERAGE AND PUBLIC REACTION ARE FOCUSED ON THE APPROXIMATELY 5% OF THESE OFFENDING CHILDREN WHO WILL GO ON TO BECOME LONG TERM CONCERNS. AMERICAN DATA SHOWS THAT 85-95% OF YOUTH WHO SEXUALLY OFFEND WILL NEVER BE RE-ARRESTED. WHILE THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT THAT ENTIRE GROUP DID NOT RE-OFFEND (THUS JUST NOT BEING CAUGHT), IT TELLS US THAT THE VAST MAJORITY ARE NOT RE-OFFENDING. THE SMALLER NUMBER REPRESENTS THOSE WHO ARE LONG TERM OFFENDERS.

THE NATURE OF SEXUAL ABUSE, AS WE HAVE SEEN IN THE VERY HIGH PROFILE CASE OF THE FOOTBALL COACH , MR. SANDUSKY, WHO HAS YET TO BE CONVICTED, TELLS US THAT THESE BEHAVIORS TYPICALLY OCCUR IN SECRET. IT MAY TAKE EITHER YEARS FOR CHILDREN WHO ARE VICTIMS TO TELL, EVEN WHEN THE OFFENDER IS ANOTHER CHILD. THE PERPETRATORS TYPICALLY KNOW THAT WHAT THEY ARE DOING IS WRONG AND THUS, EVEN YOUTH OFFENDERS, WILL TAKE PRECAUTIONS TO KEEP THE BEHAVIOR SECRET.

THE YOUTH VICTIMS ALSO HAVE A TENDENCY TO KEEP THE SECRET FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS THAT INCLUDE SHAME, GUILT, INNOCENCE, LIKING THE ATTENTION AND THREATS FROM THE PERPETRATOR.

MEDIA ATTACKS SEEM TO SUGGEST THAT, NONE THE LESS, CHILD PROTECTION SHOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SEE WHAT WAS GOING ON. HOWEVER, THIS CASE ALSO ILLUSTRATES THAT THOSE WHO HOLD POSITIONS OF POWER CAN BEHAVE IN WAYS THAT GET IGNORED, MINIMIZED OR EXPLAINED. WE SAW THIS WITH THE MULTIPLE ABUSES THAT HAVE OCCURRED IN THE CHURCH SYSTEMS.

ANOTHER RECENT CASE IN ALBERTA IS THE DEATH OF ELIZABETH VALASQUEZ. IN THIS CASE, THE PROVINCE OF ALBERTA LAUNCHED A REVIEW AND CONCLUDED THAT MORE COULD HAVE BEEN DONE TO PROTECT THIS CHILD.  ONE ISSUE THAT RECEIVED SCANT ATTENTION IN THE MEDIA, HAS BEEN THE SILOS OF INFORMATION THAT EXIST BETWEEN AGENCIES MAKING IT HARDER FOR CHILD PROTECTION TO KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON.

IN MY OWN CLINICAL EXPERIENCE, I HAVE BEEN RUNNING ACROSS CASES, MORE FREQUENTLY THAN I WISH, WHERE, EVEN WITH INFORMED CONSENT FROM THE CLIENT, THE AGENCY IS REFUSING RELEASE OF INFORMATION.

IN MY RESEARCH ON OVER 600 CASES OF CHILDREN WHO HAVE DIED WHILE INVOLVED IN THE CHILD PROTECTION SYSTEMS OF CANADA, U.S.A., NEW ZEALAND, AUSTRALIA AND THE UNITED KINGDOM, VIRTUALLY ALL CASES HAVE RESULTED IN A RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS IN WHICH SOCIAL WORKERS COULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING BETTER. I WOULD PARENTHETICALLY NOTE, THAT INFORMATION SILOS HAVE BEEN A THEME IN A LARGE NUMBER OF THESE CASES.

BUT THE REALITY IS THAT, CASES ARE SO COMPLEX , INVOLVING MULTITUDES OF FACTORS, VARYING QUALITIES OF INFORMATION, DATA THAT IS OFTEN HELD IN DIFFERENT SYSTEMS AS WELL AS RESISTANCE FROM FAMILIES, THAT ERRORS ARE ALMOST ASSURED. WHEN LOOKING BACKWARDS HOWEVER, THERE WILL BE A DESIRE THAT CASES ARE DONE CORRECTLY AND THAT THE CHILD’S DEATH SHOULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED. WHAT IS OFTEN MISSING IS AN UNDERSTANDING THAT ERRORS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN AND THAT NO CHILD PROTECTION SYSTEM IS CAPABLE OF AVOIDING THEM ALL. THIS ALSO MEANS THAT CHILDREN WILL DIE WHO ARE KNOWN TO CHILD PROTECTION SYSTEMS. IN THE MEDIA FRENZY, IT WILL BE FORGOTTEN THAT THE VAST MAJORITY OF CASES HAVE REASONABLY GOOD OUTCOMES.

PERFECTION IS UNATTAINABLE. WHEN YOU BOARD AN AIRPLANE, YOU KNOW THAT THERE IS SOME SMALL CHANCE THAT THE PLANE WILL CRASH – BUT IT RARELY DOES. YOU KNOW WHEN YOU GO FOR SURGERY, YOU MIGHT DIE – BUT IT RARELY OCCURS. EVEN COMING HERE TONIGHT, THERE WAS AN INHERENT RISK THAT YOU COULD GET INTO AN ACCIDENT – BUT THAT RARELY OCCURS ON A STATISTICAL BASIS. WHY THEN SHOULD WE EXPECT CHILD PROTECTION TO NOT ALSO HAVE A STATISTICAL RISK OF FAILURE WHICH MIGHT INCLUDE THE DEATH OF A CHILD?

SO WHY ARE THESE HIGH PROFILE ERRORS OCCURRING? THE REASONS ARE COMPLEX AND INCLUDE, AMONGST OTHERS:

1.    NOT ALL WHO KILL CHILDREN CAN BE PREDICTED. IN FACT, OUR CAPACITY TO ACCURATELY PREDICT VIOLENT BEHAVIOR IS RELATIVELY POOR.  EVEN ON AN ACTUARIAL BASIS, WE WILL STILL GET ONLY MODERATELY STRONG CAPACITY TO PREDICT BASED ON PROBABILITY. WHAT THIS MEANS IS THAT, EVEN IN THE BEST CIRCUMSTANCES, WE WILL GET IT WRONG AT LEAST SOME OF THE TIME. WE WILL CLASSIFY AN INDIVIDUAL AS LOW RISK WHO WILL THEN GO ON TO SEXUALLY ABUSE, PHYSICALLY ABUSE OR KILL A CHILD.

2.    THERE ARE FAMILIES WHO GO OUT OF THEIR WAY TO AVOID THE SCRUTINY OF CHILD WELFARE – THEY WILL LIE, THEY WILL MISREPRESENT OR THEY WILL DISCONNECT OR WILL BE TRANSIENT. IN SOME CASES THEY WILL ENGAGE IN DISGUISED COMPLIANCE. THIS MAKES IT VERY HARD FOR A SOCIAL WORKER TO KNOW WHAT IS REALLY GOING ON. AS WE SAW, FOR EXAMPLE WITH THE TURNER CHILD IN NEW BRUNSWICK, SOME PARENTS ARE HARD TO FOLLOW AND TRACK.

AS WE HAVE SEEN IN THE SHAFIA MURDER CASE IN CANADA, THIS PAST WEEKEND THE GLOBE AND MAIL OPINED THAT CHILD PROTECTION IN QUEBEC MAY HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SAVE THOSE GIRLS FROM BEING MURDERED. IS THAT REAL? I DON’T KNOW BUT IT IS A POWERFUL MESSAGE FROM THE MEDIA TO THE PUBLIC OF CANADA. MOST INTERESTING IN THE CRITICISM WAS THE SUGGESTION THAT THE SOCIAL WORKERS WERE TOO DEFERENTIAL TO CULTURE. QUEBEC CHILD PROTECTION AUTHORITIES HAVE NOW SAID THAT THEY WERE ILL PREPARED TO CONTEMPLATE THE NATURE OF THE RISK THAT EXISTED IN THIS TYPE OF CASE. THUS, IN A WORLD WHERE MIGRATION IS THE NORM, CHILD PROTECTION MUST SOMEHOW ADAPT TO THE MYRIAD OF CULTURAL REALITIES THAT MAY BE IN CONFLICT WITH WHAT HAVE COME TO BE KNOWN AS “CANADIAN STANDARDS”.  THE DIRECTOR OF THE CHILD PROTECTION AGENCY THAT HANDLED THE SHAFIA CASE STATED EARLIER THIS WEEK:

“I think it's a failing that we share with the rest of Canadians, in terms of not having the consciousness of how extreme some of these behaviours are,” Ms. Bérard said. “We think they're so far away and will never come home, but they are actually home right now in our own country, and we have to deal with them.” (GLOBE AND MAIL)

IN ANOTHER COMMENT, THIS ONE FROM Homa

Arjomand, a transitional support counsellor in Toronto and the founder of the International Campaign Against Sharia Court in Canada STATED:

"The greater success will come when social workers, children's aid workers, police, teachers and all crisis workers start to care more about the individual crying out for help, rather than for the culture of the parents or the husband," Arjomand said.

"We must stop training counsellors to be culturally sensitive," she said. "Instead, we need to hear the victims, listen to them and treat them equally with any other Canadian woman or child exposed to violence." (CALGARY HERALD)

3.    SOME ABUSE IS UNPREDICTABLE BECAUSE CHILD PROTECTION DOES NOT KNOW THE INFORMATION. THERE CAN BE A NEW PARTNER WHO IS QUIETLY BROUGHT INTO THE HOUSEHOLD WHO THEN GOES ON TO ABUSE AND / OR KILL THE CHILD. CHILD PROTECTION WILL NEVER KNOW EVERYTHING.

BUT WE MUST ALSO ACCEPT THAT CHILD PROTECTION, AS A HUMAN SYSTEM, WILL MAKE MISTAKES. IN AN ENVIRONMENT WHEN THE MEDIA WILL INTENSELY SCRUTINIZE ERRORS AND POLITICIANS MAY GO ON TO SEEK A SACRIFICIAL LAMB TO LET GO, THERE IS MUCH FEAR ABOUT OPENLY TALKING ABOUT THE ERRORS.

IN THE CASE OF BABY PETER IN THE U.K., A HORRIBLE DEATH, THE MEDIA BEGAN A FRENZY ABOUT THE FAILURES OF CHILD PROTECTION AUTHORITIES PAINTING THE SYSTEM AS GROSSLY INCOMPETENT. THE POLITICIANS OF THE DAY, FOUND THEIR SACRIFICIAL LAMB IN THE FORM OF THE SUPERVISOR, SHARON SHOESMITH. SHE WOULD BECOME VILIFIED IN THE MEDIA, AND THIS IS NOT AN UNDERSTATEMENT. SHE WAS FIRED ALTHOUGH WOULD ULTIMATELY WIN A COURT CASE AS A RESULT OF THAT FIRING BEING UNFAIR AND UNLAWFUL.

WHEN THESE CASES OCCUR, POLITICIANS TYPICALLY RESPOND WITH SOME SORT OF PROMISE THAT IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN ON THEIR WATCH. THEY SPEAK OF DOING EVERYTHING THAT THEY CAN TO ENSURE IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN. IT IS A PROMISE THAT CANNOT BE KEPT BECAUSE THERE WILL BE ANOTHER DEATH. AS HARRY FERGUSON, ANOTHER BRITISH RESEARCHER NOTES, THERE IS A KEY ASSUMPTION IN SUCH PROMISES, “THAT IT IS POSSIBLE FOR SOCIAL WORK INTERVENTION TO PROTECT ALL CHILDREN FROM ABUSE AND, ULTIMATELY, DEATH. YET THIS IDEA IS QUESTIONABLE AND IS IN FACT QUITE NEW…”

REVIEWS OF SOCIAL WORKER ACTIONS HAVE BECOME POLITICIZED AND MAY BE ON THE VERGE OF BEING LITIGIOUS IN NATURE.

WHEN SOCIAL WORKERS SEE THEIR COLLEAGUES BEING ATTACKED AND POLITICIANS SEEKING TO COVER THEMSELVES, THERE WILL BE AN OBVIOUS DESIRE TO AVOID HAVING YOUR OWN MISTAKES KNOWN. THUS, IT IS HARD TO CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE MISTAKES CAN BE USED AS A METHOD TO BETTER LEARN HOW TO DO CHILD PROTECTION. AS SOME RECENT CASES IN THE U.S.A. HAVE SHOWN, THERE IS ALSO THE GROWING RISK THAT SOCIAL WORKERS ARE BEING HELD PERSONALLY LIABLE FOR THE DEATH. IN NEW YORK A SUPERVISOR AND A CASE WORKER HAVE BEEN CRIMINALLY CHARGED IN RELATION TO THE DEATH OF MARCHELLA PIERCE. THE NOTION IS THAT, IF THEY HAD DONE THEIR JOB PROPERLY, THE CHILD WOULD HAVE LIVED.

IN THE UNITED KINGDOM WE SEE A SETTLEMENT REPORTED BY COMMUNITY CARE FROM A CHILD PROTECTION AGENCY IN ESSEX FOR ALMOST $1.5 MILLION TO FOUR SIBLINGS WHO WERE NOT PROTECTED FROM PARENTAL ABUSE.

CHILD PROTECTION SYSTEMS ARE BECOMING, INDEED MAY HAVE ALREADY BECOME, RISK AVERSIVE. GIVEN THE PRICE THAT A HIGH PROFILE MISTAKE CAN BRING, THIS IS NOT SURPRISING.

I AM HOPEFUL THAT THE RECENT STEPS IN ALBERTA TO ESTABLISH THE CHILDREN’S ADVOCATES OFFICE AS AN INDEPENDENT BODY WILL LEAD TO THOUGHTFUL INQUIRIES ABOUT HOW TO DO BETTER AND NOT AS PLATFORMS FOR BLAME.

THIS LEADS ME TO WHAT I THINK IS REALLY THE CORE ISSUE WITH CHILD PROTECTION AND THAT IS THE FAILURE OF SOCIETY TO REALLY WANT TO ADDRESS THREE CRUCIAL ISSUES:

1.    A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF CASES ARE THE RESULT OF POVERTY AND OTHER SYSTEMIC ISSUES WITHIN SOCIETY. A RECENT PUBLICATION FROM THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF WELFARE PRESENTS DATA THAT TELLS US, THAT A MERE 2% INCREASE IN THE GST IN CANADA WOULD PROVIDE THE MONEY NEEDED TO CORRECT POVERTY IN CANADA. WHY, AS A NATION, WOULD WE NOT SEEK TO DO THAT? LET US NOT FORGET THAT POVERTY COSTS US. FOR EXAMPLE, JUST A WEEK OR SO AGO, THE CANADIAN CENTRE FOR POLICY ALTERNATIVES NOTED THAT NEW BRUNSWICK PAYS 7%  OF ITS GDP TO POVERTY RELATED COSTS.

POVERTY IS BECOMING A MORE PERVASIVE ISSUE THROUGHOUT THE WESTERN ECONOMIES. WE HAVE SEEN CRISIS IN THE UNITED STATES, EUROPE AND VARIOUS PARTS OF CANADA, ALTHOUGH WE HAVE BEEN SHIELDED MORE THAN MOST. IF ONE IS PREPARED TO ACCEPT THAT POVERTY CAN LEAD TO FAMILY CRISIS, THEN ONE IS ALSO FACED WITH THE POSSIBILITY THAT SUCH STRESSORS WILL LEAD TO MORE FAMILIES SUFFERING PARENTING DEPLETIONS. THIS WILL BRING MORE FAMILIES TO THE ATTENTION OF CHILD PROTECTION. SOME OF THOSE FAMILIES ARE BROUGHT THERE BY MERELY BEING UNABLE TO FUND SOME OF THE BASIC NECESSITIES. IS THIS NEGLECT? THERE ARE CERTAINLY THOSE WHO WOULD SUGGEST SO. ONE OF THE STERNEST CRITICS OF CHILD PROTECTION IS AN AMERICAN GROUP CALLED THE NATIONAL COALITION FOR CHILD PROTECTION REFORM. IN MY MIND, THEY OFTEN WRITE FROM A SENSATIONALISTIC AND JOURNALISTIC PERSPECTIVE. YET, THEY ARE WISE IN NOTING THAT POVERTY IS OFTEN GETTING MIXED UP AS A CHILD PROTECTION ISSUE WHEN IT MIGHT BETTER BE THOUGHT OF AS AN ISSUE OF SOCIETY’S UNWILLINGNESS TO PROTECT THOSE WHO HAVE FALLEN PREY TO THE FORCES IN THE WORLD THAT ARE FAR BEYOND THEIR INDIVIDUAL CONTROL. YET, WE SO OFTEN EXPECT THEM TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM ON THEIR OWN.

YET, IN A BOOK RELEASED JUST THIS WEEK, CHARLES MURRAY ARGUES THAT WE ARE FACING A CULTURAL DIVIDE THAT IS MUCH MORE POWERFUL THAN THE ECONOMIC ONE THAT DIVIDES RICH AND POOR. THERE IS A FRAGMENTATION OF SOCIAL STRUCTURE THAT CREATES A SET OF REALITIES WHERE PROBLEMS THAT WE KNOW CREATE MORE NEGATIVE OUTCOMES ARE BECOMING TOO MUCH THE NORM – HIGH STRESS SINGLE PARENTHOOD AND UNEMPLOYMENT THAT DETACHES PEOPLE FROM MEANINGFUL PURPOSE. FAMILY LIFE IS IMPACTED AND CHILDREN WILL PAY DISPROPORTIONATELY. IT IS A PRICE THAT WILL BE PAID IN BOTH THE PRESENT GENERATION BUT, AS WE HAVE SEEN IN THE U.K., FOR GENERATIONS THAT FOLLOW.

IN HER EXCELLENT BOOK PROBATION AND SOCIAL WORK ON TRIAL,  WENDY FITZGIBBON MAKES NOTE THAT ANOTHER OUTCOME OF THE ECONOMIC CRISIS HAS BEEN THE FRAGMENTING OF COMMUNITY. WHERE, IN THE PAST, COMMUNITY SOUGHT TO LOOK AFTER THOSE AROUND THEM, THAT IS NOW FAR LESS COMMON. PEOPLE ARE TRANSIENT, HOMES ARE VACANT, AND PEOPLE SEEK REFUGE FROM A WORLD INCREASINGLY SEEN AS UNSAFE BY DETACHING AND HIDING WITHIN THEIR HOMES. A FAMILY IN TROUBLE IS LESS ABLE TO REACH OUT FOR HELP FROM THOSE AROUND THEM. THEY ARE LEFT ISOLATED WITHIN THEIR COMMUNITY. ISOLATION INCREASES A SENSE OF POWERLESSNESS – THE FEELING THAT YOU ARE ALONE IN THAT SINKING SHIP. THIS, IN TURN, DEPLETES PERSONAL RESOURCES LEAVING LESS AVAILABLE FOR THE TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS OF PARENTING.

YET, IF MONEY WERE THE SOLUTION ALONE, THEN MANY OF SOCIETIES PROBLEMS WOULD HAVE BEEN SOLVED. IT IS DEEPER THAN THAT.

2.    WE HAVE HISTORIC PATTERNS THAT CHILD PROTECTION IS FOCUSED ON POPULATIONS THAT ARE MARGINALIZED FOR REASONS BEYOND POVERTY. AS THE NATIONAL COLLABORATIVE CENTRE FOR ABORIGINAL HEALTH NOTES:

     “THE 2003 CANADIAN INCIDENCE STUDY OF REPORTED CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT (CIS-2003) FOUND THAT ABORIGINAL CHILDREN WERE 2.5 TIMES AS LIKELY TO HAVE A “SUBSTANTIATED” REPORT OF MALTREATMENT IN THE CHILD WELFARE SYSTEM, AN OVERALL POPULATION RATE OF 49 PER 1000 CHILDREN IN COMPARISON TO 19.8 PER 1000 NON-ABORIGINAL CHILDREN.”

IN OTHER WORDS, WE HAVE YET TO RIGHT THE LONG STANDING PROBLEMS OF CANADA’S ABORIGINAL POLICIES OF THE LAST CENTURY.

CANADA IS NOT ALONE IN MARGINALIZED POPULATIONS BEING OVER REPRESENTED IN CHILD PROTECTION SYSTEMS. THIS IS TRUE IN THE UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND AND THE UNITED KINGDOM. WE SHOULD CERTAINLY ASK WHY? IS IT BECAUSE WE ARE LEAST WILLING TO SUPPORT THE WEAKEST PARTS OF SOCIETY? IS IT BECAUSE WE BELIEVE THAT SOCIETY WILL ALWAYS HAVE THE VULNERABLE AND THAT IS JUST THE WAY IT IS? IS IT BECAUSE A CULTURE OF GREED HAS PERMEATED OUR SOCIETY MAKING US LESS WILLING TO WORRY ABOUT THOSE PEOPLE WHO DO NOT FORM PART OF OUR MAINSTREAM?

REGARDLESS OF WHY, CHILD WELFARE IS LEFT TO PICK UP THOSE PIECES. WHICH LEADS TO THE THIRD PROBLEM.

3.    CHILD PROTECTION IS BEING ASKED TO REPAIR DAMAGE FROM PUBLIC POLICY ERRORS, POVERTY AND MARGINALIZATION OF VULNERABLE POPULATIONS. THEY DO SO ON A FAMILY BY FAMILY BASIS WHILE SOCIETY FAILS TO ADDRESS THE MAJOR OVERARCHING PROBLEMS.

WE NEED TO ACCEPT THAT POVERTY, WHILE CREATING STRESSORS IN FAMILIES, IS NOT, IN AND OF ITSELF THE ISSUE. THERE ARE MANY WHO HAVE BEEN RAISED IN POVERTY WITHIN NURTURING AND CARING FAMILIES. IT IS THE MORE CHALLENGING PATTERNS IN OUR SOCIETY OF ADDICTION, ALCOHOLISM, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, ABUSE AND SEXUAL TRAUMA THAT ARE MORE AT THE CENTRE OF WHAT NEEDS TO CHANGE. IF WE CHANGE THOSE PATTERNS THEN THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF CHILDREN WILL BE THE DIRECT BY PRODUCTS.

AS AN ASIDE NOTE, WE SPEND BILLIONS TRYING TO ERADICATE THE DRUG PROBLEM BY ADDRESSING THE SUPPLY SIDE – GROWING, MANUFACTURING AND DISTRIBUTION AND RELATIVELY LITTLE ON THE DEMAND SIDE – THE USERS. IMAGINE, IF THE WAR ON DRUGS HAD THEIR BUDGETS SHIFTED TO PREVENTION AND REHABILITATION. THIS WOULD BENEFIT CHILDREN!

AS A SOCIETY, WE ARE ALSO FAILING TO PROVIDE THE FUNDS NEEDED FOR CHILD PROTECTION TO REALLY DO WHAT MUST BE DONE. CORRECTIVE CHILD PROTECTION IS EXPENSIVE. FURTHER, MOST OF THE REWARDS WILL COME IN THE NEXT GENERATION, NOT BY THE NEXT ELECTION. THUS, THE BUDGETS NEEDED TO SUPPORT THIS LONG TERM SOCIETAL CHANGE ARE NOT EASILY SOLD TO THE ELECTORATE. IN ESSENCE, THE MESSAGE WOULD NEED TO BE, “I WANT YOU TO PAY SIGNIFICANT FUNDS FOR A CHILD PROTECTION SYSTEM THAT WILL REALLY PAY OF IN THE GENERATIONS OF YOUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN.” THAT IS A HARD SELL.

WE KNOW FROM QUITE EXTENSIVE LONG TERM RESEARCH IN THE U.S.A. AND THE U.K., THAT CHILDREN WHO ARE RAISED IN THE FOSTER CARE SYSTEM HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY POORER LIFE OUTCOMES THAN CHILDREN RAISED EVEN IN MARGINALLY GOOD ENOUGH HOMES.

LEGISLATION IN MANY JURISDICTIONS SEEKS TO PRESERVE THE FAMILY UNIT. THE RESEARCH I HAVE JUST REFERRED TO SUGGEST THAT IS A GOOD GOAL. BUT TO MAKE THE GOAL TRULY EFFECTIVE, WE NEED TO INVEST IN INTENSIVE, LONGER TERM RESOURCES TO CHANGE HOW VULNERABLE AND HIGHER RISK PARENTS ENGAGE THE ROLE OF PARENTING. RESEARCH DONE HERE IN CANADA THROUGH MCMASTER UNIVERSITY SHOWS THAT MOST OF OUR SHORT TERM EFFORTS DO NOT YIELD LONG TERM BENEFITS. YET, WE KEEP DOING THESE SORTS OF THINGS OVER AND OVER BECAUSE WE DO NOT HAVE THE FUNDS TO PROGRAM LONG TERM FAMILY SUPPORTS THAT WOULD KEEP FAMILIES TOGETHER. BUT IT IS PRECISELY THOSE KINDS OF EFFORTS THAT ARE NEEDED TO GET TO THE LONG TERM SOLUTIONS IN THE REDUCTION OF SUBSTANCE DEPENDENCY, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND THE OTHER ISSUES I REFERRED TO A FEW MOMENTS AGO.

OTHER RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT MANY MORE FAMILIES CAN BE PRESERVED IF WE ARE WILLING TO FUND THESE LONGER TERM EFFORTS. FOR EXAMPLE, ONE OF THE CRUCIAL FACTORS THAT HAS BEEN SHOWN TO BE EFFECTIVE IS TO ALLOW CASE LOADS TO BE AT A LOWER LEVEL THAN TYPICALLY SEEN SO THAT THE SOCIAL WORKER CAN TAKE THE TIME TO ACTUALLY BUILD A TRUSTING, WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH A FAMILY. IT IS IN THAT WAY THAT REAL CHANGE CAN BE ENGAGED AS OPPOSED TO CRISIS INTERVENTION OR SYMPTOM REDUCTION. THAT AGAIN, MEANS INVESTING IN CHILD PROTECTION WAITING FOR THE PAY OFF SOME TIME DOWN THE ROAD.

BUT THE FAMILY PRESERVATION AGENDA IS WORKING IN MOST INSTANCES. THE ONTARIO INCIDENCE STUDY, 2008, SUGGESTS THAT NO MORE THAN 1:5 CHILDREN WITH SUBSTANTIATED MALTREATMENT WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE HOME. THIS IS A STATISTIC THAT RUNS COUNTER TO WHAT THE CRITICS OF CHILD WELFARE WOULD HAVE YOU BELIEVE.

RESEARCH DONE BY OFSTED, A BRITISH ORGANIZATION, HAS SHOWN 8 SIGNIFICANT FACTORS THAT SOCIAL WORKERS CAN DO THAT WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND HELP TO BUILD ON FAMILY PRESERVATION:

•   USE APPROACHES WHICH BUILD ON FAMILY STRENGTHS;

•   BE PERSISTENT, RELIABLE AND FLEXIBLE AND BE RESPONSIVE;

•   OFFER OPEN AND HONEST COMMUNICATION INCLUDING WHAT IS AND IS NOT ACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOR;

•   USE AN APPROACH WHICH VALUES FAMILY MEMBERS, REALLY LISTEN TO THEM, RESPECT WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY AND UNDERSTAND THEIR PERSPECTIVE;

•   BE CLEAR ABOUT EXPECTATIONS AND WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE AND THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT ACHIEVING THE CHANGES;

•   IDENTIFY AND ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF ALL FAMILY MEMBERS;

•   WORK WITH THE FAMILY, ALONG SIDE THEM, WITH A CLEAR PLAN TO SUSTAIN CHANGE BEYOND THE INVOLVEMENT OF CHILD PROTECTION.

IN SOCIAL WORK, WE HAVE A LONG TRADITION OF SEEING FAMILIES AS HAVING A PLACE IN AN ENVIRONMENT, A SYSTEM AND EXISTING WITH STRENGTHS CAN BE BUILT UPON. THE MANAGERIALISM OR BEAURACRATIZATION OF SOCIAL WORK DIMINISHES THOSE TRADITIONS MEANING THAT FOLLOWING PROCEDURE AND TICKING THE RIGHT BOXES HAS MORE REAL MEANING THAN DOES THE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CLIENT. THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT ARISES WHEN RISK AVERSION OCCURS. GOOD CASE MANAGEMENT MEANS TAKING INFORMED RISKS THAT LEAD TO CHANGE. IT MAY ALSO LEAD TO FAILURE AT TIMES.

AS YOU CAN READILY SEE, THIS REQUIRES TIME FOR PROPER CASE WORK. IT WOULD ALSO ALLOW US TO SEE THOSE FAMILIES THAT TRULY ARE SUSTAINABLE – BUT NOT ALL FAMILIES ARE. SOME CHILDREN DO NEED TO COME INTO CARE. BUT, IT IS MORE PROBABLE THAT IT WILL BE THE RIGHT KIDS COMING INTO CARE.

THIS WOULD ALLOW US TO FOCUS MORE INTENSIVE EFFORTS ON THOSE CHILDREN WHO DO NEED TO BE IN ALTERNATE CARE AS NO CHILD PROTECTION SYSTEM WILL BE ABLE TO PRESERVE ALL FAMILY UNITS.

A RECENT REVIEW BY WALSH AND MATTINGLY NOTES THAT CHILDREN IN FOSTER CARE ARE 16 TIMES MORE LIKELY TO RECEIVE A PSYCHIATRIC DIAGNOSIS THAN CHILDREN NOT IN FOSTER CARE. THEY ARE ALSO 8 TIMES MORE LIKELY TO BE TAKING PSYCHOTROPIC MEDICATIONS.  THE MEDIA HAS PAID MUCH ATTENTION TO THIS SUCH AS THE RECENT INVESTIGATIVE REPORT IN THE USA BY THE PBS PROGRAM FRONTLINE AND ANOTHER BY ABC NEWS WITH DIANE SAWYER. WHAT THESE AND SIMILAR PROGRAMS OFTEN MISS IS THAT THIS IS A TROUBLED POPULATION AND THUS, THE RISKS OF MENTAL HEALTH AND EMOTIONAL HEALTH PROBLEMS WILL BE MUCH HIGHER. BUT AGAIN, THEY MISS THAT A REAL PART OF THE SOLUTION WILL BE TO BETTER SUPPORT CHILDREN IN FOSTER CARE WITH THREE KEY ELEMENTS:

1.    STABILITY OF PLACEMENT

2.    STABILITY OF SOCIAL WORKER WHO CAN BUILD A REAL RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CHILD (THIS TOO REQUIRES INVESTMENT IN CHILD PROTECTION SO THAT BURNOUT AND STAFF TURNOVER ARE REDUCED) AND

3.    MORE INTENSIVE SUPPORTS THAT PERMIT THESE CHILDREN TO WORK THROUGH THE ISSUES THAT BROUGHT THEM INTO CARE. THESE INCLUDE THE REALITIES THAT THEY HAVE BEEN THE VICTIMS PARENTAL NEGLECT OR ABUSE BUT HAVE ALSO LOST IMPORTANT ATTACHMENT FIGURES IN THEIR LIFE. LET US NOT FORGET THAT THE VAST MAJORITY OF CHILDREN IN CARE SEEK TO BELONG TO FAMILY – AND TYPICALLY BIOLOGICAL FAMILY. THIS IS TRUE EVEN WHEN THEY HAVE BEEN ABUSED.

WE MUST ALSO FOCUS ON EARLY INTERVENTION. RESEARCH PUBLISHED JUST LAST MONTH BY LUTTMAN AND FARMER, SUMMED UP OUR KNOWLEDGE OF NEGLECT BY STATING THAT “NEGLECT HAS A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON DEVELOPMENTAL OUTCOMES FOR CHILDREN, INCLUDING SERIOUS LONG TERM EFFECTS ON CHILDREN’S COGNITIVE, SOCIO-EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIORAL DEVELOPMENT, HEALTH AND EARLY ATTACHMENT AND THE EFFECTS APPEAR TO BE CUMULATIVE.” THEY FOUND IN THEIR RESEARCH THAT THE VAST MAJORITY OF NEGLECTED CHILDREN WERE SUBJECT TO MALTREATMENT AS WELL.

THIS RESEARCH AND A MUCH LARGER BODY OF WORK SHOWS THAT, OUR FAILURE TO ADDRESS THE CAUSATIVE ISSUES IS COSTING US FOR GENERATIONS. WE NEED ONLY TO LOOK AT THE ABORIGINAL COMMUNITY IN CANADA TO KNOW WHAT DAMAGE IN ONE GENERATION COSTS US IN SUBSEQUENT GENERATIONS.

MY THOUGHTS MIGHT BE SEEN AS RADICAL STUFF, BECAUSE IT ASKS FOR A THOROUGH RECONSIDERATION OF HOW WE FUND AND OPERATE CHILD PROTECTION. I SUGGEST THAT THE MOTIVATION FOR THAT IS VERY LOW. MY CALL IS FOR US TO BEGIN, AS A PROFESSION, A PUBLIC DIALOGUE ABOUT CHILD PROTECTION AND WHAT TRULY NEEDS TO HAPPEN. WE HAVE BEEN SILENT TOO LONG AND THE PUBLIC REALLY DOES NOT UNDERSTAND. WE HAVE LEFT IT TO THE MEDIA TO COMMUNICATE OUR MESSAGE AND THEY GENERALLY ONLY DO IT WHEN WE FAIL.

IF WE DO NOT CREATE THE CHANGE, THE NATURAL OUTCOME IS THAT CHILDREN WILL NOT BE PROTECTED WELL. CHILDREN WILL END UP IN FOSTER CARE THAT WOULD BE BETTER OFF IN FAMILIES BUT THE RESOURCES NEEDED WILL NOT BE THERE. A CHILD WILL AGAIN DIE AND THE MEDIA WILL AGAIN SEEK TO FIND THE CULPRIT.

HIGH PROFILE CASES THAT ARE COVERED BY THE MEDIA COST SOCIETY IN SOME VERY EXPENSIVE WAYS, HOWEVER. THESE CASES OFTEN LEAD TO WORKERS WANTING TO ENSURE THAT SUCH A CASE DOES NOT HAPPEN ON THEIR CASELOAD SO THAT THEY BECOME OVERLY CAUTIOUS. IN THOSE SITUATIONS, CHILD PROTECTION WILL OVER APPREHEND. BUT WHO CAN THEN BLAME THE WORKERS WHEN ERRORS ARE SEEN NOT AS LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES BUT AS BLAMING OPPORTUNITIES.

AS I NOTED EARLIER, THERE IS A RISK AVERSION WITHIN CHILD PROTECTION BUT TRYING TO KEEP HIGHER RISK FAMILIES TOGETHER, WHICH AS I HAVE NOTED IS OF BENEFIT TO A MULTITUDE OF CHILDREN, REQUIRES TAKING RISKS. TAKING THE RISK THAT APPARENT CHANGES ARE REAL; THAT CHANGE CAN BE SUSTAINED; THE PARENTS WILL UTILIZE THE NEW TECHNIQUES THAT THEY HAVE BEEN TAUGHT AND, AS A RESULT, THE FAMILY SITUATION WILL BE AT LEAST, GOOD ENOUGH. BUT THAT RISK WILL NOT ALWAYS HAVE A POSITIVE OUTCOME.

WHAT MIGHT BE DISCOURAGING IS THAT THESE ARE ISSUES THAT HAVE BEEN TALKED ABOUT FOR SOME TIME. DOUGLAS BESHAROV, WRITING FOR THE LEGAL COMMUNITY IN 1994 NOTED THAT HIGH PROFILE MEDIA CASES LEAD TO OVER REACTION AND MORE CHILDREN COMING INTO CARE. IF WE ARE NOT PREPARED TO USE ERRORS AS LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES BUT RATHER AS EVIDENCE THAT CHILDREN ARE NOT BEING PROTECTED THEN WE WILL CONTINUE TO SEE THESE KINDS OF REACTIONS.

ONE WAY THAT SOME POLITICIANS TRY TO GET THIS APPARENT NO-WIN STORY OFF THEIR PLATE IS TO PRIVATIZE CHILD PROTECTION SERVICES. RESULTS THUS FAR ARE NOT THAT ENCOURAGING. CASE OUTCOMES DO NOT APPEAR TO BE BETTER, STAFF TURNOVER IS STILL A PROBLEM AND COSTS DO NOT APPEAR TO BE LESS. THE SOLUTIONS ARE NOT ABOUT WHO DELIVERS THE SERVICE BUT HOW AND WHAT IS DELIVERED.  PRIVATIZATION DIVERTS AWAY FROM THE DISCUSSION THAT REALLY NEEDS TO HAPPEN.

THE OTHER MAJOR CHALLENGE OF LOOKING AT IMPROVEMENTS IN THE SYSTEM IS THAT WE FOCUS ON WHAT GOES WRONG AS OPPOSED TO WHAT GOES RIGHT. ERRORS ARE WINDOWS INTO IMPROVING THE SYSTEM BUT SO IS EXAMINATION OF THE THINGS THAT GO WELL – WE NEED TO ASK WHY SUCCESS OCCURS AND SEEK TO REPLICATE MORE OF THAT.

I WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT, HAVING BEEN IN AND AROUND CHILD PROTECTION SYSTEMS FOR ABOUT 3 DECADES, I BELIEVE THAT WORKERS ARE TRYING TO DO THEIR BEST WITH THE RESOURCES THAT THEY HAVE AVAILABLE. AS A SOCIETY, WE ARE NOT WILLING TO DO WHAT IS REALLY NEEDED, HOWEVER, AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO ASK CHILD PROTECTION TO SERVE AS SOCIETY’S CLEAN UP CREW.

I KNOW THAT THERE ARE FAMILIES WHO ARE BETTER OFF BECAUSE OF CHILD PROTECTION. I HAVE MET THEM! I KNOW THAT THERE ARE CHILDREN WHO ARE ALIVE TODAY BECAUSE OF CHILD PROTECTION. I HAVE WORKED WITH THEM! I KNOW THAT IN MOST CASES, THINGS GET BETTER BUT UNTIL WE ARE WILLING TO ADDRESS THESE CORE MATTERS, AS A SOCIETY, THINGS WILL NOT BE GETTING BETTER AS THEY SHOULD. NOT ENOUGH GOOD WILL HAPPEN TO ENOUGH FAMILIES. WE AS A PROFESSION NEED TO CELEBRATE OUR SUCCESSES BUT WE ALSO NEED TO DEMAND OF OUR SOCIETY, THROUGH OUR POLITICIANS, THE RESOURCES TO CHANGE WHAT OCCURS IN SOCIETY – THOSE ISSUES OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, SUBSTANCE DEPENDENCY, ABUSE AND NEGLECT – BECAUSE THOSE ARE THE CHANGES THAT REALLY PROTECT CHILDREN AND PRESERVE FAMILIES. LET US RAISE OUR VOICES SO THAT DIALOGUE OCCURS. TO NOT DO SO IS TO TRULY TO FAIL CHILDREN.

THANK YOU.