October 21, 2009

Oct 28th Day of Action

Does child welfare matter in B.C. politics? Could concerns over child welfare influence public policy or affect how many people vote?

Tragedies involving the deaths of children have resulted in commissions: Thomas Gove in 1995 and Ted Hughes in 2006. Gove's report motivated new child welfare legislation; Hughes' report led to changes in how the deaths of children are reviewed and to the appointment of the Representative for Children and Youth as an officer of the legislature. Those were certainly changes in public policy, although it is not obvious that outcomes have changed for vulnerable children in B.C.

In one of many reorganizations affecting vulnerable children, the Campbell government moved responsibility for children with special needs from Community Living BC (once wholly integrated in the Ministry of Children and Family Development) back to the Ministry. In her November 2008 update on services for children and youth with special needs , Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, Representative for Children and Youth, noted that her February 2008 report which found "that services were complex and fragmented, that some children were excluded from services due to eligibility criteria not based on children's functional needs, and that wait times were problematic" had been accepted by the Ministry but that implementation of its recommendations was proceeding slowly.

What was slow progress before the May 2009 election might now be described as moving in reverse, at least if you read the criticisms of "Moms on the Move", an organization formed in 2001 by parents concerned about cuts to services for children and youth with special needs. According to their website, they are planning a provincial day of action on October 28th for the following reasons:

• Eliminating Early Intensive Intervention programs in 7 BC communities.
• Denying therapy to children with autism and other diagnoses (e.g. Down Syndrome) who can't pay thousands of dollars each year out of pocket.
• Eliminating provincial staff who deliver key services for Infant Development, Aboriginal IDP and Supported Child Care.
• $32 million cuts to provincial staff who manage & deliver kids' programs; $3.6 million cuts to front-line services; cuts to children in care, childcare, FASD prevention, even Special Olympics.
• No assessment of risks and impacts of these cuts and no consultation with families.
• Denial of special education in public schools - forcing families to pay privately or kids go without.
• Despite promised changes, youths with special needs still being denied vital supports on the basis of IQ.

It is not easy to influence the Campbell government, or even to attract significant media attention. The parents who choose to demonstrate on October 28th deserve support and they deserve a respectful hearing from the Campbell government. The new Minister of Children and Family Development, Mary Polak, on September 23rd responded in question period to concerns over the elimination of Early Intensive Intervention programs by saying the cuts were based on the principles of "equity and access". As NDP critic Maurine Karagianis said: "The minister has admitted no evidence whatsoever, no data to back up the decision to cut back this very successful program. And yet the minister has admitted today that the increase in funding to the lowest common denominator only buys an extra hour of program support for these families." To that Polak responded by saying the financial burden of dealing with autism goes far beyond what governments have been able to provide.

That's the attitude Moms on the Move will face when they try to pressure the Campbell government on October 28th. They know that and their response has been to work harder, to develop "action kits" and to organize. If you can't join them, give them a friendly wave when you see them on your drive to work next Wednesday morning.