Dear Editor,
Recent news coverage about the deaths of children and youth in care has sparked much discussion and speculation, but there is one point about which we all agree: the death of even one child is tragic and unfortunate. Whenever a child dies in care, it’s important to understand why. In that respect, we appreciate the depth of discussion sparked by the media and the opportunity to reflect upon what we can learn from these tragedies in order to continuously improve the child intervention system.
But we are also concerned that recent media coverage in the Edmonton Journal and the Calgary Herald overshadows another very important aspect of the full the many successful foster and kinship families who keep children safe and supported during a crisis period in their lives.
Foster families are skilled and loving caregivers who continually undergo training to manage what can sometimes be the very complex medical or emotional needs of children in their care. Over the years many foster families in our Region have opened their homes to hundreds of traumatized children, providing a safe and healthy place for them to stay. They help these vulnerable children build resilience and form healthy attachments—skills that all children need in order to grow up and develop healthy adult relationships. Many of these now grown foster children recently attended celebration events with us to honour their foster families and spoke about the incredible difference they made in their life. Unfortunately, these success stories seldom make the news because confidentiality rules restrict the release of information that reveals the identity of children in care.
Every one of us appreciates responsible, accurate, balanced news reporting. We urge the media to demonstrate that sort of reporting—and endeavour to tell the full story of the child intervention system, with its many successes.
Trevor Thain, Co-Chair, Audrey Franklin, Aboriginal Co-Chair, Board of North Central
Alberta, Child and Family Services Authority
