Temporary Custody
Next we will look at the temporary care agreement and how this system fails our children and their single parents who are addicts. First we will look at the time limit this act puts on a child’s custody:
“(6) No temporary care agreement shall be made or extended so as to result in a child being in a society’s care and custody, for a period exceeding,
(a) 12 months, if the child is less than 6 years of age on the day the agreement is entered into or extended; or
(b) 24 months, if the child is 6 years of age or older on the day the agreement is entered into or extended. 1999, c. 2, s. 8 (2).”
This portion of the act is in place so that a child is not in the care of one person for more than a two-year time span. But what is …show more content…
One of the biggest flaws within this act is the care and treatment of our aboriginal citizens. As stated prior, Katelynn’s case was bumped from Children's Aid Society of Toronto to the Native Child and Family Services and then to Toronto District School Board, and back around like an endless circle (CBC News). The issue with all of this is while Katelynn was part Native, legal guardians were not, therefore Children’s Aid deemed this a case for the Native Child and Family Services, while they pushed it back to Children’s Aid, all the while the TDSB was sending information to these two groups, and neither of them were handling the case. While the Native Child and Family Services would have handled the case if Katelynn identified as an aboriginal child, or her mother did, neither of them did. My main critique of the Child and Family Services Act regarding the Native Child and Family Services portion would be the sheer length and vagueness. In this act there is pages upon pages of rules and regulations, while the section for Native families is given a few short paragraphs and often lead with “The Minister may designate” leaving me asking if there are any hard rules regarding the safety and wellbeing of our native youth and families. Even in trying to support my argument by finding literature and academic papers, I noticed the general lack of …show more content…
Being a single parent who is addicted to crack cocaine, with no support and living with a mental illness seems impossible to most. But Bernice Sampson tried. She tried for seven years until she knew her daughter deserved a more stable, happy life. So she put her in the care of friends, and trusted that the Ontario’s Child and Family Services Act could somehow protect and guide Katelynn until she was sober. But it failed, and the result was a child being abused in the most horrendous ways, and ultimately taken away from this life. This critique was not to say that the he Child and Family Services Act has never worked, it was not to say that Children’s Aid is a horrible company, it was to bring light to what happens when people for get to care, and when they forget to be inclusive, and understanding. There needs to be revisions to this act that help single parents, and those struggling with mental illness and/or addiction. This act needs to make clear what the families and children of our Native community need to do if they ever find themselves in a situation like Katelynn’s. The NDP is currently pushing the Liberal government to act on this case being reopened and further analyze the acts we have in place to protect and help heal children and families in need. Finally I’d like to end this critique with a quote from page 98 of “Recovering our Stories: A Small Act of
Next we will look at the temporary care agreement and how this system fails our children and their single parents who are addicts. First we will look at the time limit this act puts on a child’s custody:
“(6) No temporary care agreement shall be made or extended so as to result in a child being in a society’s care and custody, for a period exceeding,
(a) 12 months, if the child is less than 6 years of age on the day the agreement is entered into or extended; or
(b) 24 months, if the child is 6 years of age or older on the day the agreement is entered into or extended. 1999, c. 2, s. 8 (2).”
This portion of the act is in place so that a child is not in the care of one person for more than a two-year time span. But what is …show more content…
One of the biggest flaws within this act is the care and treatment of our aboriginal citizens. As stated prior, Katelynn’s case was bumped from Children's Aid Society of Toronto to the Native Child and Family Services and then to Toronto District School Board, and back around like an endless circle (CBC News). The issue with all of this is while Katelynn was part Native, legal guardians were not, therefore Children’s Aid deemed this a case for the Native Child and Family Services, while they pushed it back to Children’s Aid, all the while the TDSB was sending information to these two groups, and neither of them were handling the case. While the Native Child and Family Services would have handled the case if Katelynn identified as an aboriginal child, or her mother did, neither of them did. My main critique of the Child and Family Services Act regarding the Native Child and Family Services portion would be the sheer length and vagueness. In this act there is pages upon pages of rules and regulations, while the section for Native families is given a few short paragraphs and often lead with “The Minister may designate” leaving me asking if there are any hard rules regarding the safety and wellbeing of our native youth and families. Even in trying to support my argument by finding literature and academic papers, I noticed the general lack of …show more content…
Being a single parent who is addicted to crack cocaine, with no support and living with a mental illness seems impossible to most. But Bernice Sampson tried. She tried for seven years until she knew her daughter deserved a more stable, happy life. So she put her in the care of friends, and trusted that the Ontario’s Child and Family Services Act could somehow protect and guide Katelynn until she was sober. But it failed, and the result was a child being abused in the most horrendous ways, and ultimately taken away from this life. This critique was not to say that the he Child and Family Services Act has never worked, it was not to say that Children’s Aid is a horrible company, it was to bring light to what happens when people for get to care, and when they forget to be inclusive, and understanding. There needs to be revisions to this act that help single parents, and those struggling with mental illness and/or addiction. This act needs to make clear what the families and children of our Native community need to do if they ever find themselves in a situation like Katelynn’s. The NDP is currently pushing the Liberal government to act on this case being reopened and further analyze the acts we have in place to protect and help heal children and families in need. Finally I’d like to end this critique with a quote from page 98 of “Recovering our Stories: A Small Act of