Children’s Advocate Bob Pringle. Photo courtesy Johnson Shomoya Graduate School of Public Policy.
Saskatchewan’s Children’s Advocate is calling on the Ministry of Social Services to act quickly on changing laws, rather than relying on procedure changes that have been in place since 2012.
The changes came about after a horrible case of child abuse unfolded in a Regina home. The guardians of two young sisters were named “Persons of sufficient interest,” (PSIs) which means they are in some way connected to the family. At that time, PSIs were not under the scrutiny of the Ministry of Social Services once they take in the children.
Further systemic failures were highlighted during the recent trial of a Regina couple, Kevin and Tammy Goforth, who were convicted of starving a four-year-old girl to death and causing serious harm to her two-year-old sister.
Since he was named Children’s Advocate in 2012, Bob Pringle has been pushing the Ministry of Social Service to be more accountable when children are placed with PSIs.
As far back as 2010, major concerns were being raised because once a child is placed into such an arrangement, the Ministry’s involvement pretty much ends.
As a result, Social Services did not know the little girls under the care of the Goforths were wasting away until it was too late.
Pringle says the rules have since changed but he says they don’t go far enough.
He says what’ happened is only a policy change, not a legislated change. He also says there are still not enough safeguards.
“The ministry is then required to do an annual review on how that child is doing in that family. So another twelve months, that is way too long,” Pringle said.
He would like to see home visits every three months.
He says there have been two major reviews of Social Services policies since the starvation of the two girls but the changes to legislation have been delayed twice and likely won’t be implemented until next year.
Pringle says progress has been too slow.
“I think we have improvements assessing risks of children while under care or in homes with PSIs,” he says. “But we haven’t put the prevention services in place that were intended by the child welfare review, so we pick up the pieces.”
The case involving the Goforths is also the subject of a lawsuit. The biological mother of the girls is suing the Ministry of Social Service for negligence.
Meantime, Tammy and Kevin Goforth will be back in court on Friday for sentencing arguments.
Tammy was convicted of second-degree murder and will get an automatic life sentence with no chance of parole for at least 10 years. Tammy’s parole eligibility will be decided on Friday. Kevin Goforth was convicted of the lesser charge of manslaughter. His sentence could range from five years to life.