CYW II: From The Inside

Dbones

From The Inside:


The worker comes to the place you have always called home
and tells you that you have a new place to live. The Children's Aid
Society has decided for whatever reasons, one's because of your age
you may not understand that you cannot live with your parents
anymore and you have to be taken into custody for the time being.
This is every mother and child's nightmare and all too often harsh
reality. Many children are either temporary or crown wards of the
various Children's Aid societies in Canada. I grew up in the system,
as did many friends of mine and we are still searching for answers.
Maybe in this paper I can answer some of them.

Youth are in crisis at the point of admission to any residential
environment. They need help managing this experience and integrating
into unfamiliar environments. How children are integrated into a
residential setting will influence how they cope within that
program(Voices,). Many workers that I had just moved me because of
my young age. I have been a part of the system since 1984 when it
was decided by my biological father that I was too uncontrollable to
stay at home. Meanwhile this man is a convicted pedophile that had
been abusing me and my sisters for years, myself physically and
mentally, my sisters sexually. But I was the problem wasn't I?

When I entered the system I was scared to death the first place I
lived was Sacred Heart child and family services, a catholic group
home in scarborough operated by nuns. I was put into a catholic
public school against my will, forced to cut my long hair and dress
in clothes that were hand me downs from the group homes because my
clothing was deemed unacceptable by the school. Many times if I
wore what I wanted I was grounded or put into holding (behavioral
controls).
Knowledge of rights varies widely in the system, most youth
know some of their rights and are able to identify what they are.
Some youth are not aware of their rights any many learn within the
system. I did not know at the time that I had a right to my own
religion which at the time was Protestant. I was forced to become a
good little catholic, didn't work too well. I think this is one of
the main reasons I was at one time in my life a Satanist and the
reason I now practice wicca. I was ignorant of a great many of my
rights. When I started to learn my rights I was made to feel that
they were privileges more than my rights. One of my favorite sayings
as a child was "I'm a group home kid, I ain't got no right's." I
was put into holding more than was necessary, and many basic needs
were ignored.

Effective safeguards against abusive behaviors are lacking, because
many are afraid to report abuses for fear of reprisals, the
ineffectiveness of existing safe guards continues unadressed.
(Voices, 13) Twice while I was at sacred heart and once at Haydon
youth services I had unfortunate accidents in a holding setting. I
have had my arm broken twice in 2 separate incidents and my head
busted open once by child care workers. Many ways that children
retaliate to abuse are retaliating, hurting themselves, running
away or doing nothing .(Voices, 15)I was so afraid of the staff that
I thought if I said something I'd just get my ass kicked again so I
kept quite when I went to see the doctor or my worker.

It wasn't all psychical abuse either. I was made to feel
like nothing by the staff . verbal abuse was quite common by the
staff at both group homes and the schools I attended. "I was stupid,
why couldn't I just behave?" Many of these I was told. I started
running away and living on the streets at twelve when I was moved
from Sacred Heart to Haydon house in Oshawa. It only got worse there.

Behavioral controls were applied anytime I would talk back or do
something I wasn't supposed to. The time my skull got busted open I
was caught smoking in my room and I was put into a holding position
in where my head was facing the worker and he had his body on my
legs, one hand on my arms holding them crossed, and one hand on my
head. When I tried to bite he slammed my head against the paved
floor hard. This should have been unacceptable. Behavioral controls
need to be applied judiciously and only in unsafe situations, after
all other forms of de-escalation have been attempted.(voices,17) I
think that destroying my cigarettes would have appropriate
punishment.

Things needed in a healthy relationship with caregivers are mutual
trust, consistent caring, unconditional acceptance, communication
and interaction, commitment, few or pre-planned seperations,
promotion of self esteem, absence of trauma and protection.(voices,
33) Sadly many of these things are not present even in the system
today. Residential programs, depend on building relationships with
children and youth in there care. Youth conditioned to protect
themselves from loss and rejection pose a serious challenge to the
ability of youth workers to effectively engage them. Youth may
resist or sabotage efforts at relationship building. Many will re-
enact past rejections by caregivers as a self fulfilling prophecy.
(Voices,34)

Dbones

Many youth describe multiple placements in the children's service
sector.(voices,34) I can attest to this as I went to two group
homes and one residential school in Hamilton before I was 16 and
struck out on my own. I think this is why I live a nomadic lifestyle
today and I don't care where I go because I've never put down roots
anywhere. I lived in so many cities that it doesn't matter, as long
as I have a roof over my head. Many kids get lost in the system as
they pass through jurisdictions and may have one or more workers
that handle their case. Sometimes in this instance you will have a
child referred to a place that is not appropriate to their
situation. In example, I was referred first to a group home run by
my psychiatrist after Sacred Heart, small conflict of interest there
you would think especially after the fact that he dealt with my
pedophile father and manic depressive step-mother. He said that my
mother was unfit, tied us up in court for years.
After Haydon I was again referred to a place that I could live with
my mom, but I had to go to this special school called Cornerstone.
Its a school for adolescents with psychiatric and extreme emotional
problems. I don't think that I have ever fit either category. Of my
friends from school at Cornerstone, only one is in college, one is a
whore that works the street, 3 have had children of there own, one
had a child and had it taken away by Hamilton's children's aid, a
few are living on the street, and at least one is dead. 2 OF a class
of 25, pretty good odds you would think. Definitely a case of wrong
referral, I think that going to that school and Haydon's isolated
classes contribute to the fact that I never got my high school
diploma, as all you have to do in these classes is behave and not be
out of control. It doesn't matter if you listen to the radio, draw
pictures, pass notes to your friends etc. The emphasis is to behave

The Child and Youth Advocate of Toronto has suggested a few
recommendations that could possibly improve the system they are as
follows,
care system journey
recommendations:
acknowledging the impact of multiple placements and the need for
stable and consistent care givers, the children's service sector
must make stability for children in care the priority.
i. the government should develop a computerized tracking system to
monitor movement of youth across all residential service sectors. A
computerized tracking system will, reduce the movement young people
in care, enhance safe guards, help to determine the efficacy of
existing programs and reinforce accountability.
ii. Establish a threshold indicator at which a child's movement
will be reviewed. This indicator must begin tracking at the point of
service activation.(Voices.44)
iii. ensure that the first out of home intervention is decisive,
and is of sufficient intensity to meet identified needs of child and
family.
iv. the treatment plan for an out of home intervention is
derived from a comprehensive need and risk assessment that is
holistic and accountable to the child's community.
v. the children's service sector and ministries providing
service to children to children must develop clear guidelines for
supportive admission processes to any residential setting and
recognize that an admission is a crisis to the child.
vi. a single case manager should be assigned to follow each
child from point of entry into the system to discharge, regardless
of the program, service sector or ministry involved.
vii. child welfare agencies must honor their obligation to
investigate allegations of excessive force in the management use of
force in the management of children under the age of 16 in Ontario's
care system.
viii. the Ministry of Community and Social Services must take the
lead in the development of new methods for the restraint of children
and conduct research to determine which youth are amenable to
certain psychical restraint methods. Any form of physical restraint
needs to be viewed as a serious occurrence with all implications
this entails.
ix. a clear standardized definition of isolation needs to be
developed. The administration of this intrusive measure needs to be
regulated across service sectors.
x. the Ministry of Community and Social Services should
conduct research to determine the psychological impact of isolation
on children to determine what is appropriate.
xi. Training and supervision in de-escalation strategies must be
provided to all front line staff. Intrusive measures should be used
only in response to verified security needs and therapeutic purposes.
(Voices,46)
xii. all ministries serving children should improve the culture
experienced in care by reducing harsh and disrespectful treatment
and reinforcing the establishment of meaningful relationships.
xiii. transitional age youth should be eligible for child welfare
care. (voices,47) I feel that this last one is a major need because
if you are a crown ward until you are 16/18 depending on
jurisdiction most times you are cut loose without knowing most of
the support systems in place.

While I have not addressed all of the recommendations or everything
that goes on in this system I believe I have focused on some of the
extreme factors in the field and the steps that could, should and
are being done in the field. I believe that the book I have taken
many of my notes from is a valuable addition to any child youth
workers library, as well I believe that it should be part of any
training class