Questioning foster care 'should not be allowed,' says association head

[SLM]

Questioning foster care 'should not be allowed,' says association head

The head of the Alberta Foster Parent Association says media questioning of foster care should not be allowed, following a damning media investigation that found the number of children who have died in government care is nearly triple the official numbers.
In a news conference Wednesday in Edmonton, the Alberta government spoke out in support of the foster care system. A joint Edmonton Journal/Calgary Herald investigation released Monday concluded a total of 145 children died in government care since 1999 but that the province only reported 56 of those deaths.
Speaking as part of a panel of foster care supporters, Katherine Jones said media reports questioning foster care "should not be allowed."
Government officials at the conference attacked the premise of the investigation, saying there are limits to what the public can know about foster care.
"The public doesn't have the right to know everything," said Alberta's Human Services Minister Dave Hancock, adding that parents of children in foster care are not to speak publicly unless a judge gives permission.


Yahoo News Canada - Latest News & Headlines


Absolutely unbelievable! Yes, the public does have a right to know if 145 children have died while in the foster care system, particularly when it calls into question the official reported numbers of the government. Those kind of numbers demand an inquiry not a silencing of the media. How in the hell else are the public, the citizens of this country, supposed to hold the government to account for it's actions or in-actions if they hide what's really going on? Seems to me that the association head and Minister are looking the other way when they should be getting to the heart of the problem. And given that so many children have reportedly died in the system since 1999 I'd be skeptical of trusting them to do it without oversight.

 

[Goober]

Well this idiot is a real idiot- Foster Parent are paid by the TPayer- Have to meet standards- How else do we find out about abuse, shortfall if the media does not dig. I am sure neither the Govt or he would admit to problems.

So the elephant is the govt as always.Guess where he fits in.
man gets his head stuck up an elephants ass - YouTube

 

[SLM]

Well this idiot is a real idiot- Foster Parent are paid by the TPayer- Have to meet standards- How else do we find out about abuse, shortfall if the media does not dig. I am sure neither the Govt or he would admit to problems.

The media apparently did dig and came up with fatalities almost 3x what the government was saying it was. Now, I'm the last person to believe everything the media tells me, but when I hear of a discrepancy like that, I want to know more. And from my point of view, the government and foster care system is accountable to explain.

 

[Goober]

The media apparently did dig and came up with fatalities almost 3x what the government was saying it was. Now, I'm the last person to believe everything the media tells me, but when I hear of a discrepancy like that, I want to know more. And from my point of view, the government and foster care system is accountable to explain.

I know- Listened to the reporter being interviewed on CBC. She writes for the Edmonton Journal. She worked on this 4 years. The Govt thru up roadblock after roadblock about privacy concerns when she asked for info under the access to information act.
They (The Journal) spent a ton of money on court challenges. Welcome to the Stan, Albert-Stan.

 

[SLM]

I know- Listened to the reporter being interviewed on CBC. She writes for the Edmonton Journal. She worked on this 4 years. The Govt thru up roadblock after roadblock about privacy concerns when she asked for info under the access to information act.
They (The Journal) spent a ton of money on court challenges. Welcome to the Stan, Albert-Stan.

If I were an Alberta resident, I'd be all over my MPP over this. This isn't about a bit more money than they led us to believe, this is about the lives of children. That's intolerable.

 

[damngrumpy]

One can say its paid by taxpayers and you're right but that is not the problem.
The problem is we live in an open society and no institution should be above a
level of scrutiny. Every institution is subject to these kinds of actions by media
and or government and should be. For years we dared not speak of being
critical of the church and we know what happened.
I was a foster parent for a number of years decades ago and I saw things that
upset me then too. Investigations and reviews and public input ensure the
system works for all nothing should be swept under the carpet Ever.

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

Y'all need to calm down some. Here's the important language:

Speaking as part of a panel of foster care supporters, Katherine Jones said media reports questioning foster care "should not be allowed."

In other words, a private citizen on a panel of "supporters," not a government official of any kind.

Y'all fell for sensationalistic journalism.

 

[SLM]

Y'all need to calm down some. Here's the important language:



In other words, a private citizen on a panel of "supporters," not a government official of any kind.

Y'all fell for sensationalistic journalism.

Then she shouldn't be on the damn panel.

I don't give a damn what "stand out title" the article uses....what pisses me off is report of 3x the volume of dead children in the foster care system than what the official government agency has reported themselve. Somebody needs to answer for and to that!

 

[karrie]

True T-bone, but, government officials supposedly echoed her sentiment.


What I find myself asking is, what kind of information was the reporter trying to access? It's all well and good to say that you're accessing it for freedom of information, but, foster children have the same rights to privacy when accessing government aid that any other citizen of this country does. I think it's a difficult balancing act to make sure that they are protected, while at the same time making sure that their privacy is protected as well.

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

Then she shouldn't be on the damn panel.

I don't give a damn what "stand out title" the article uses....what pisses me off is report of 3x the volume of dead children in the foster care system than what the official government agency has reported themselve. Somebody needs to answer for and to that!

Couldn't agree more. But you need to focus. If the person that said that was a government official, I'd call for her to be fired. As it is, she's just another idiot running off at the mouth. So we can ignore her and focus on the death rate in foster care.

 

[SLM]

True T-bone, but, government officials supposedly echoed her sentiment.


What I find myself asking is, what kind of information was the reporter trying to access? It's all well and good to say that you're accessing it for freedom of information, but, foster children have the same rights to privacy when accessing government aid that any other citizen of this country does. I think it's a difficult balancing act to make sure that they are protected, while at the same time making sure that their privacy is protected as well.

What's frightening to me is that it is possibly through the media digging, and potentially violating that right to privacy, that these kids may be better protected. Particularly if these numbers are anywhere near to being accurate.

 

[karrie]

What's frightening to me is that it is possibly through the media digging, and potentially violating that right to privacy, that these kids may be better protected. Particularly if these numbers are anywhere near to being accurate.

I agree that they need to be held to account in keeping appropriate records regarding fatality, abuse, etc. But, I think there is a lot evidently being taken out of context. For example, the article talks about them saying that parents of children in foster care aren't allowed to speak publicly. They make it sound so draconian, when, in reality it is often a measure courts take to prevent public leaking of the identity of a child who's suffered sexual or severe physical abuse. It's a way of trying to give children a new future without past abuses hanging over their heads. So, when one thing is that slanted, it makes me wonder about the rest.

 

[SLM]

I agree that they need to be held to account in keeping appropriate records regarding fatality, abuse, etc. But, I think there is a lot evidently being taken out of context. For example, the article talks about them saying that parents of children in foster care aren't allowed to speak publicly. They make it sound so draconian, when, in reality it is often a measure courts take to prevent public leaking of the identity of a child who's suffered sexual or severe physical abuse. It's a way of trying to give children a new future without past abuses hanging over their heads. So, when one thing is that slanted, it makes me wonder about the rest.

I think that's just the way this CBC news article is written, rather poorly. But what I took away from it was a joint publishing venture by the Edmonton Journal and Calgary Herald. And I'm going to operate on the assumption of at least a modicum of integrity in terms of fact checking and being able to back up claims prior to publishing them. So I take the core material to be sound. And that's the alarming material, in my opinion.

 

[Sal]

Right now there are over 100,000 kids in the system in the States that need forever homes because they are currently in foster care. Not only do we throw away kids and animals but we don't even check up on what happens to them afterward.

100,000 kids that no one wants.

 

[gerryh]

Then she shouldn't be on the damn panel.

I don't give a damn what "stand out title" the article uses....what pisses me off is report of 3x the volume of dead children in the foster care system than what the official government agency has reported themselve. Somebody needs to answer for and to that!

Before I jump up and down, I'd like to know the circumstances of the deaths that were not reported. Were they natural due to birth defects, etc. Are the deaths and types outside of societal statistical norms? Is this just the media trying to sell papers and air time?