Death of baby focus of special investigation by Sask. children's advocate
10-week-old died in October 2015 of bronchopneumonia
Following the death of a baby boy from pneumonia, the Saskatchewan Children's Advocate is calling for stricter rules and closer co-operation between First Nations and provincial social agencies.
On Thursday, children's advocate Bob Pringle released a report on the death of Aiden (not his real name), who was born prematurely in August 2015 and died at home 10 weeks later on Oct. 25.
"Our investigation revealed that on numerous occasions, concerns were raised about the care Aiden was receiving, his living conditions and the level of supervision in the home," the report said.
"The family did not receive the level of support and monitoring required. The appropriate rigour was not provided," Pringle said on Thursday.
Saskatoon Tribal Council Health and Family Services said it received calls and made inquiries, but maintained "no action was required" other than forwarding the case to support programs in the community.
Two-month-old twins left alone with seven siblings, oldest a 10-year-old
Aiden and his twin sister were the youngest of nine children in a family that had a number of contacts with the agency.
There were issues with domestic violence, substance misuse, lack of child supervision and the use of inappropriate caregivers.
"There were times when the children were left alone with the 10-year-old in charge," Pringle said.
"In their (STC) internal review, the agency said there was nothing they could have done to prevent the death. They didn't see the need for further family services. That was so off the mark that it was very concerning to me."
Aiden died of a form of pneumonia called bronchopneumonia.
Pringle's report said it can't be determined "with absolute certainty" that Aiden's death was preventable.
He said Aiden left the NICU in good health but missed medical appointments leading up to his death.
There were times when the children were left alone with the 10-year-old in charge,- Bob Pringle
Following the boy's death, his eight siblings were removed from their parents care.
STC uncooperative: Pringle
Pringle said for the first time in his six years as Children's Advocate he did not receive cooperation during his investigation.
"They (STC) did not cooperate. There were less than cooperative, less than forthright and very selective in their information," Pringle said.
"My legislation requires me to investigate the services that were provided to Aiden to see if they were sufficient and if he got the services he was entitled to and he did not."
In June, STC and the province went to court over a dispute regarding child welfare files. A judge ordered STC hand over documentation on its child welfare cases to the Ministry of Social Services.
They did not cooperate,- Bob Pringle on the lack of help he received from the Saskatoon Tribal Council
Neither the ministry nor Bob Pringle would comment on if Aiden's case was what prompted the court action from the government.
A spokesperson for the government said the ministry of social services continues to provide service for the seven member STC First Nations.
STC responds
On Thursday afternoon Chief Felix Thomas, of the Saskatoon Tribal Council, responded to Pringle's investigation.
"Every single day First Nations struggle to overcome the legacy of historical state interference evidenced by Residential Schools, the Sixties Scoop and now the Millennial Scoop. Every child should be with their family, community and culture whenever safe and possible," Thomas said.
He said, while STC's Health and Family Services agency was working with the family, the child was not "in care."
"The Advocate and the Ministry may not agree with our techniques but the fact remains that STC is amongst the lowest in apprehensions but more importantly, in this case, applying and following the Ministry's procedures would not have changed the outcome," said Thomas.
In regards to apprehending the children Thomas said in one case the RCMP and the Agency went to the home after a report the children were alone, when they arrived a parent was there. He said in another case a medical appointment was missed, the parent ran out of gas.
"To ensure we are not again misunderstood, STC Health and Family Services Inc. has made significant changes prior to the release of the Advocates report and we remain committed to continuous improvement to best serve our children and families."
Thomas disagreed with Pringle's assessment on its lack of cooperation. He said they expressed concerns over jurisdiction but did cooperate.
STC did its own report and posted it on its website this summer.
Pringle's recommendations
Pringle said there was a lack of documentation, case planning and supervision to make sure the boy was safe. He said there was confusion as to when prevention services are appropriate and when the agencies are mandated for the safety of children.
The report made five recommendations, including calling on the Saskatoon Tribal Council Health and Family Services to do more detailed assessments any time risks to children are identified.
It also wants the agency to train its staff to do such detailed assessments.