B.C. child services need improvement, says watchdog

Thirty-one children, who were either in B.C. government care or receiving government services, died in the four-month period from October to January, according to the latest report from the Independent Representative for Children and Youth.

In her report, representative Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond wrote 12 of the deaths warranted further review, and the other 19 were accidental or natural.

Of the 12 deaths requiring further review, four were for deaths of children or youths in government care, and eight were receiving support. More than half were aboriginal.

Generally, rates of fatalities for children in care have declined over the past 10 years, she wrote, and the number of deaths did not indicate any new reasons for concern.

According to the B.C. Coroner's Service, a total of 68 child deaths were reported in the province from October to January 2008, she wrote.

But the report criticized the current system of government care and services in B.C. as complex and fragmented, and said vulnerable children and youth with special needs require a more responsive system.

As the province's Independent Representative for Children and Youth, Turpel-Lafond is responsible for monitoring services for children and youths, and for making regular reports and recommendations for improvements.