A special audit was conducted to check on the practices of the BC Ministry of Children and Family Development’s (MCFD) following the death of an Indigenous child in foster care last year.
The results of the audit showed that in the Fraser East region where the child died, the social workers responsible for ensuring children’s care were negligent in many areas.
Because of the results, Adam Olsen, BC Green Party’s MLA representing Saanich North and the Gulf Islands, called for the minister of the MCFD’s resignation.
Mitzi Dean is the BC NDP MLA for Esquimalt-Metchosin and the Minister of Children and Family Development. She has run the ministry since November 2020.
Following the child’s death, the audit saw 11 cases selected and put under a microscope to ensure the social workers were doing their due diligence. The results found that the social workers fell far below provincial averages in every aspect of foster child care.
Ways in which they fell short of expectations include duties such as screening caregivers, monitoring the child’s care home, developing and completing family plans with care families and many more standard practices.
Olsen brought the matter up at the Legislative Assembly’s question period on Thursday, October 19th.
“Yesterday we saw another audit of the tragic outcomes in the Ministry of Children and Family Development,” said Olsen at the question period. “This ministry needs to be torn down brick by brick and rebuilt; yet, what we have is a minister who is a little more than an apologist for the status quo.”
He then asked why Premier David Eby is permitting this kind of situation to go on under his watch when Olsen believes that there has been a systemic failure in the MCFD.
“The accountability vacuum at the highest levels in this ministry send a message to everybody else in the system that there simply is no accountability,” Olsen continued.
“These children have been neglected their entire lives. They’re neglected by the system, by the minister, by the senior staff and now by this Premier.”
Mitzi Dean was the one to answer Olsen, not Premier Eby.
“I absolutely hear his passion and his concern, and I agree with it as well,” Dean said.
“Having spent time on the front lines and many decades in this sector, I too am passionate about making sure that children are loved, that they are well cared for and that they are nurtured, and that they’re safeguarded and they’re supported to thrive and to fulfil their potential.”
She then acknowledged the colonial history which made Indigenous youth take up a disproportionate majority of children in foster care in BC and explained that her efforts as Minister have all been to change the system for the better, listing off some of the successes her government has implemented.
Following her response, Olsen called for her firing or resignation from Premier Eby.
Dean replied, “It is a very, very serious matter that the member is raising, and it is in my head and in my heart every single day that we need to continue to be making improvements and that we need to continue safeguarding children and youth and making sure that every child and youth in the province is safe.”
She said that the government will be conducting another independent review of the practices of the MCFD when it comes to foster care in the Fraser East region and that they are taking further steps to ensure nothing like this happens again.
Following this tense exchange during the October 19th question period, Victoria Buzz reached out for a statement from Dean regarding the call on Premier Eby for her firing or resignation.
“I understand and I share the outrage and the questions people have about this matter,” Minister Dean told Victoria Buzz.
“Every young person in care must be able to trust the adults and caregivers in their lives to act with their best interests in mind, and to provide them with safety, care and support.”
“For generations, the colonial child welfare system has had enormously harmful impacts on Indigenous Peoples and communities, and continues to do so, and Indigenous children and youth have been overrepresented in this system for far too long. Our government has heard the calls for transformational change in the ministry and we are acting.”
“As minister, I am determined to drive this transformative change in every way I can, through legislation, policy and budgetary measures,” she continued.
She says that last year lots of work was accomplished by her ministry to uphold the inherent rights of Indigenous communities to provide their own child and family services. BC was the first province to accomplish this work under her reign.
She also says that BC is currently seeing g the lowest number of children and youth in care in over 30 years.
“Undoing the harms of the child welfare system is challenging work and I’m committed to continuing to push this critical work forward in partnership with rights and title holders, Indigenous partners, and advocates,” Minister Dean explained.
“I am absolutely determined to make sure that we continue to take all measures to keep children and youth safe.”
She also confirmed to Victoria Buzz that outside, independent firms are being brought in to review their policies and help her in reforming the MCFD.
