Make ‘Katelynn’s Principle’ part of Ontario law
TheStar.com – Opinion/Editorials – It would be a fitting tribute to Katelynn Sampson for Ontario to act on a coroner’s jury’s recommendation and make ‘Katelynn’s Principle’ official policy.
Apr 29 2016. Editorial
The horrifying death of seven-year-old Katelynn Sampson has already led to changes in how Ontario’s child protection services act to prevent violence against the province’s most vulnerable kids. For one, Toronto’s four child-protection agencies have improved how they share information.
Now, seven and a half years after she was beaten to death by her legal guardians, a coroner’s jury has recommended that children in the child welfare system be placed at the centre of any investigation and should be consulted in any crucial decisions about their care. < http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2016/04/29/katelynn-sampson-inquest-recommendations-focus-on-information-sharing.html >
The province’s advocate for children and youth, Irwin Elman, proposes that this be enshrined in law as “Katelynn’s Principle” as a way of memorializing a little girl who was so badly let down by a system supposedly dedicated to protecting her and others like her. He says it “would place the child at the centre of the child welfare system.”
The coroner’s jury made 173 recommendations on Friday, most of them involving more specific measures such as better training for child protection workers and better information-sharing. But it would be a fitting tribute to Katelynn for the province to act on the jury’s first recommendation and make “Katelynn’s Principle” official policy.
Police, child experts and now the coroner’s inquest have been examining the girl’s fate for longer than she was alive. She died in August 2008, after months of violent abuse by her guardians, Donna Irving and Warren Johnson, who are serving life sentences for her death.
The coroner’s jury heard that three agencies — including the Children’s Aid Society and Native Child and Family Services — were contacted about Katelynn before her death. Yet they missed opportunities to help her and did not share information on the case. The principal of her school filed a report with CAS, but did not follow up with the agency. It was a litany of error and neglect.
All that is well known and amply documented. The important thing is to make sure that the province’s child welfare system becomes truly responsive to other young children who are exposed to abuse. “Katelynn’s Principle” would be a good place to start.
< http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2016/04/29/make-katelynns-principle-part-of-ontario-law-editorial.html >
Tags: child care, crime prevention, Health, ideology, mental Health, standard of living, youth
This entry was posted on Saturday, April 30th, 2016 at 10:00 am and is filed under Child & Family Policy Context. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
Leave a Reply
Recent Comments