'How is this child protection?': Family of six-year-old B.C. boy seeks answers after death in foster care
The tragic death of a six-year-old boy on Vancouver Island is under review after his mom says he died less than a week into being placed in foster care without an explanation to her family.
Jade Ratchford says her son, Oliver, was found unresponsive, face down in a pond and later died in hospital.
“They took my baby. They killed him… MCFD killed my son,” she writes in a statement blaming the B.C. Ministry of Children and Family Development. “How is this child protection? How is this right? How is this the government’s idea of what safety is?”
Grace Lore, the children's minister, said she cannot comment on any case related to a child in care, even when a family comes forward, due to privacy reasons. Lore said the situation is every parent’s worst nightmare.
“My thoughts are with the family and community of this little boy. I’m a mom of a seven- and a nine-year-old. I cannot imagine what this family is going through,” said Lore.
She says foster parents undergo rigorous assessments before a child is placed in their care, including home safety visits.
“It is my expectation and my direction to the ministry that we are doing everything if a child dies in care so that we understand what happened and how it happened so we can take actions to ensure children are safe and protected – whether at home or in our care,” said Lore.
B.C.’s watchdog for children and youth says her office will also conduct a review.
Representative for children and youth Dr. Jennifer Charlesworth says the system is facing tremendous pressure.
“We’re seeing workforce shortages unlike anything I have ever seen in my 46 years of practice. We’re seeing situations (where) there’s simply not the capacity to provide the services and resources that are necessary,” said Charlesworth. “So the complexity of what we’re dealing with right now, our system was never designed to meet those kinds of needs.”
Oliver’s allies support the spotlight on accountability and have turned to helping his family.
Family friend Stephanie Paquette says she’s collecting donations to pay for funeral costs, meals and other expenses.
“[Oliver] is such a sweet, funny, smart, very curious little boy. And everyone who knew him fell in love with him. So yeah, I’m just heartbroken,” said Paquette.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Serial sexual offender linked to unsolved 1970s homicides of four Calgary girls, women
An investigation into unsolved historical homicides from the 1970s has linked the deaths of two girls and two young women in and around Calgary to a now-deceased serial offender.
Woman with liver failure rejected for a transplant after medical review highlights alcohol use
For nearly three months, Amanda Huska has been in an Ontario hospital, part of it on life support, because of severe liver failure. Her history of alcohol use is getting in the way of her only potential treatment: a liver transplant.
Dabney Coleman, actor who specialized in curmudgeons, dies at 92
Dabney Coleman, the mustachioed character actor who specialized in smarmy villains like the chauvinist boss in '9 to 5' and the nasty TV director in 'Tootsie,' has died. He was 92.
BREAKING Craig Berube named as next head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have named Craig Berube as their new head coach.
Person charged in random assault on actor Steve Buscemi in New York
A person wanted in connection with the random assault on actor Steve Buscemi on a New York City street earlier this month was taken into custody Friday, police said.
B.C. man 'attacked suddenly' by adult grizzly near Alberta boundary: RCMP
A B.C. man is recovering from multiple injuries after he was "attacked suddenly" by an adult grizzly bear near Elkford Thursday afternoon.
Australia's richest woman seeks removal of her portrait from exhibition
Art is subjective. And while many artists long to share their work with the world, there's no guarantee that the audience will understand it, or even like it.
Video appears to show Sean 'Diddy' Combs beating singer Cassie in hotel hallway in 2016
Security video aired by CNN appears to show Sean 'Diddy' Combs physically assaulting singer Cassie in a Los Angeles hotel hallway in 2016.
A look back at Alberta's record-breaking wildfire season
By the end of the 2023 wildfire season in Alberta, 1,088 wildfires had burned more than 2.2 million hectares of land, and this year, the wildfire season is already in full swing.