Social worker calls for ‘Alex Alerts’ to protect kids at risk

CALGARY (CP) — The B.C. social worker who tried to prevent Alexandru Radita from being returned to his parents’ home hopes his tragic and painful death nearly four years ago will lead to changes in the social safety net to protect future children.

Emil and Rodica Radita were found guilty Friday of first-degree murder of the 15-year-old, who weighed just 37 pounds when he died.

B.C. social workers apprehended Alexandru after an October 2003 hospital admission where he was near death because his parents refused to treat his diabetes. He was placed in foster care — where he thrived — for nearly a year before he was returned to his family, which moved to Alberta.

Patricia MacDonald, who has worked for B.C. Children’s Services for 23 years, had begged the judge not to return Alexandru to his family.

She said the social safety net failed Alex and she’s hoping his death will lead to changes in the system.

“He would have wanted for his life to have had meaning. He would have wanted it to bring about change for other children,” said MacDonald.

“I’d be asking for an ‘Alex Alert.’ There’s an Amber Alert, but we need an Alex Alert to honour him and for him to have a legacy,” she said.

Under her proposal, which she has taken to her local member of Parliament, the system would alert other provinces when at-risk children disappear.

“It would be some sort of way of messaging from Vancouver Island right to P.E.I. that we have families that have left and we have children at risk and that they need to be red flagged. They need to be picked up and they need to be checked on,” she said.