B.C. staff who failed to check on two abused foster children lose jobs: ministry

The British Columbia government says staff members at the Children’s Ministry who failed to check on two Indigenous children who were systematically abused by their foster parents have lost their jobs.

A judge sentenced the foster parents this month to 10 years each in prison for the death of the 11-year-old boy and his eight-year-old sister’s serious injuries, saying it was incomprehensible how someone could inflict such suffering and violence on an innocent child.

While the Ministry of Children and Family Development does not provide the names or the number of people involved, it says in a statement “the staff who were directly involved in this case are no longer employed by the ministry.”

The statement says the ministry has conducted a review of its involvement with the children and has implemented changes to existing practices that include regular, in-person, private meetings with children in care, and reviews to ensure care providers are properly assessed.

The statement says ministry staff did not follow its policy that children in care should be seen regularly by a social worker.

B.C. Indigenous groups have called for the resignation of Children’s Minister Mitzi Dean and the overhaul of the province’s foster care system, with one leader saying the horrific abuse suffered by the two children left him “nauseous.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 29, 2023.

The Canadian Press