A tragic incident in Kingston, where a seven-month-old infant died after being left alone for several days, has sparked urgent discussions about systemic failures. A three-year-old sibling was also found and taken to the hospital for medical attention.
The boys’ 32-year-old mother faces charges of criminal negligence causing death, failing to provide necessaries of life, and two counts of abandoning a child under 10 years old.
Reports indicate the family had a history of trauma, violence, mental illness, and substance abuse. The family was known to police and child protection services in two communities, and the mother had previously been hospitalized due to intimate partner violence (IPV).
This tragic event underscores a societal failure to protect children when parents are struggling. Child maltreatment researchers and healthcare providers stress the need for policy changes to support community and family systems, ensuring the safety and well-being of all Canadian children.
Children’s Right to Safety
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), ratified by Canada in 1991, guarantees children the right to safety, protection, nurturance, and care. This applies to all children, regardless of their background or circumstances.
Parents are primarily responsible for raising children, but when they are unwell or struggling, government systems must step in to ensure children’s safety and well-being, as outlined in Articles 18 and 19 of the UNCRC.
Child Neglect
Child neglect, the failure to meet a child’s basic needs, is a severe public health concern. It can lead to significant physical and cognitive delays or even death. In Canada, neglect is a common form of child maltreatment. A 2019 study found that neglect, along with exposure to IPV, accounted for a large percentage of substantiated maltreatment cases.
Neglect often overlaps with factors like parental involvement in the justice system, mental illness, poverty, violence, and substance use. For mothers, substance use and mental illness are major risk factors. Supporting parents experiencing IPV, addiction, and mental health challenges is crucial for child safety.
Collective Responsibility
The UNCRC states that governments and institutions share responsibility for children’s health, safety, and well-being. They must support parents in their caregiving roles.
In Canada, provincial and territorial child welfare ministries ensure child safety. These ministries, along with healthcare and social service providers, must connect children and parents with high-quality, evidence-based care and support.
However, chronic underfunding of child welfare agencies and community-based services in Ontario has made it challenging to provide the necessary support. Healthcare and social service professionals also lack adequate training to recognize and address child safety concerns effectively.
Child welfare agencies in Ontario face an infrastructure crisis, which the 2024 budget failed to address. Child welfare workers are experiencing stress and burnout, contributing to the system’s failure to support vulnerable families.
Call to Action
The infant’s death highlights the need for systemic changes to address the urgent needs of children and their parents. Key actions include:
1. Early identification, prevention, and monitoring of risk factors for children’s safety.
2. Adequate funding for high-quality, trauma-informed, and culturally sensitive child welfare services.
3. Enhanced collaboration between child welfare, health, mental health, and substance use programs.
4. Improved training for professionals to understand and respond to intersections of addictions, child neglect, IPV, and mental health challenges.
5. Development and delivery of specialized addiction programs for pregnant and parenting individuals across Canada.
Recent events emphasize the urgent need for system changes to protect and support children and families in Canada.
