B.C. children’s report says addicted parents pose risks to kids

VICTORIA – Children’s advocate Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond says British Columbia’s government must do more to protect children from their drug-addicted and alcoholic parents.

At the heart of her report released today is the tragic case of a 10-year-old boy who suffered serious head and spinal injuries in a car crash where both the boy’s mother and her boyfriend had been drinking.

Turpel-Lafond’s report says B.C.’s ministry of children and family development must ensure the best interests of the child are always the focus of care plans.

She says the ministry had received five child protection reports about the boy over nine years, but did not take adequate steps to ensure his safety until after he suffered critical injuries.

The report says the mother has a long history of addiction, include using cocaine, amphetamines and opiates, but most of the ministry’s workers who dealt with the family did not have formal training on how to work with families with addictions.

The report says the mother suffered minor injuries in the crash, but the boy suffered a severe head injury, a spinal fracture and a lacerated right arm and he needed surgery to have his skull reconnected to his spine.