A recent report from Jennifer Charlesworth, B.C.’s Representative for Children and Youth, revealed that up to 83,000 young people with disabilities in B.C. are not receiving the services they need. Child welfare social workers are operating in a “state of crisis,” with a work environment plagued by stress and burnout. Tragically, public cases such as the death of a young Indigenous boy in 2021, highlighted in the “Don’t Look Away” report released on July 16, 2024, exposed the systemic failures that have contributed to devastating outcomes. An overwhelming number of families are reaching their breaking points due to the severely underfunded and nearly unmanageable system.
Charlesworth remarked: “This ongoing lack of resources is leading to heartbreaking and frankly shocking situations that should serve as a wake-up call for all of us.” And she added,
“We heard from families who said they would give up their children to ensure they received the care they need. Some were on the verge of harming themselves or their children because they saw no other options, and others have been stuck on waitlists, watching their children lose their childhood.”
Despite some efforts by the Ministry of Children and Family Development, there hasn’t been any meaningful change. The system remains broken, and children continue to fall through the cracks. Meanwhile, Carney’s goal is to spend tens of billions of dollars per year to subsidize the arms industry in other countries – more than the federal healthcare and education budgets combined. For the ruling class in power, this is more important than the lives of children and workers in this country.
As a daycare manager, I am often forced to turn away families because we lack the resources to properly care for children with disabilities. Many professionals in this field have reached out to MLAs and the ministry directly, but little has changed. The question remains: how many more children and families will suffer because our system prioritizes profits over people?
– Lili M., North Vancouver
