By Jill Slater

Sask. child’s advocate reports on two-year-old boy’s death

Sep 16, 2014 | 11:15 AM

The Saskatchewan Child and Youth Advocate released a detailed report Tuesday on the death of a two-year-old boy in foster care more than four years ago.

“Jake” (as he is referred to in the report) was found dead in his playpen on a December morning in 2009.

“Jake himself did not have a voice, as he had not yet learned to talk when he passed away four days before his second birthday,” states the report titled “Lost in the System” submitted by advocate Bob Pringle. The toddler had been shuffled between 11 different placements in the 19 months he was in care. The coroner did not conclude how or why he died, which is “rare” according to Pringle. A police investigation ruled there was no foul play.

The boy was born on Dec. 14, 2007 and was taken into foster care five months later. The report states that Jake’s mother had issues with alcohol and drugs and that she was a victim of domestic violence from Jake’s father.

In one incident, Jake’s father allegedly threw hot water on his mother while she was holding Jake. The boy suffered minor burns but the mother had to be hospitalized for some time, according to the report.

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Jake and his brother were taken into care and were eventually placed in an “emergency-level” foster home. Those homes are meant to house children for up to two weeks. The report states Jake stayed in that home until his death nine months later. There were nine other children under the age of five in the home.

“His many moves, some of which were not documented sufficiently, were contrary to MSS (ministry of social services) policy, which states that reasonable steps must be taken to maintain stability in a child’s foster home placement and reduce anxiety for the child,” states the report.

In his recommendations, Pringle is calling for the ministry of social services to report the number of moves children in care are coping with.

“This report is called ‘Lost in the System’ as it appeared in this investigation that while Jake's physical whereabouts were known, his needs and best interests were lost as he moved between caregivers,” wrote Pringle.

The report states that Jake was born healthy but, over the time he was in care, several reports raised concerns he was developmentally delayed. Pringle wrote that Jake never learned to talk and that he was slow to learn to crawl and walk.

He says a broken femur he sustained in his final placement was not properly documented or explained.

Pringle has come out with seven recommendations to try to stop a death like this from happening again. A major one is that social services must ensure the maximum number of children in a home policy is adhered to. Another recommendation calls for mandatory investigations into incidents involving “highly vulnerable” children in care, such as the case of Jake’s broken leg.

“While it is too late for Jake, telling his story can help us improve systems for other children,” states a news release.

The ministry of social services will respond to the report Tuesday afternoon.

Check back for updates…

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