Review this tragic case

A 13-month-old baby is suddenly, tragically dead. And his 19month-old sister has disturbing “unexplained historical injuries.” Both were placed by children’s aid authorities in the home of a convicted child abuser. The question is why? It’s not because the Children’s Aid Society of Niagara Region did not know the legal history of the paternal grandfather with whom the infants were placed. As the Star’s Laurie Monsebraaten reported, both children ended up in his care, despite the fact he had been convicted of assaulting his six-month-old son two decades earlier. (The son, now 20, is the father of both infants.)

Children’s aid officials also knew the grandfather had a “criminal history” that included several charges. He had also been investigated earlier by the society for drug use and verbal abuse of a previous partner, though those allegations were not verified.

How could babies be placed with a convicted child abuser with such a record? This is a case that cries out for an independent review.

It’s needed especially in light of the Jeffrey Baldwin case. The 5-year-old boy died of starvation in 2002 while in the care of his maternal grandparents, who were later found to have been convicted of abusing their own children. At that time children’s aid workers were not required to do background checks when they placed children with other family members. But since 2006 all potential caregivers, including extended family members, are required to undergo extensive background checks for any previous criminal or child protection concerns.

The Niagara children’s aid society says it placed the 19-month-old girl with the grandfather when she was born because he “was open and honest about his criminal history and was willing to complete the necessary documents in order for the society to complete the assessment.”

That should not be a good enough reason to place any child in the care of a convicted child abuser.

An outside review could establish guidelines for children’s aid societies, which are under increasing social and financial pressure to place kids with kin.

To be fair, some studies indicate children do better when they are placed with relatives rather than with strangers. Still, it should surely be obvious that the dangers of placing them with known child abusers are just too great.

As the Ontario NDP’s critic for children’s issues, Monique Taylor, said this week: “The fact that this child was placed in the custody of a known offender raises serious questions about oversight.” She is right. In this recent case, the 13-month-old boy was taken to hospital with a head injury on July 25 and died the next day. At that point, children’s aid officials took the 19-month-old girl into custody and discovered her past injuries.

While the children’s grandfather says the baby boy was knocked over by the family’s dog and hit his head on a hardwood floor, Niagara Regional Police and the coroner’s office are investigating. The grandfather has not been charged and nothing has been proven in court.

Ontario Children’s Minister Tracy MacCharles has said of the most recent case: “Whenever a child dies we have a responsibility to learn from what happened and take all necessary steps to prevent similar tragedies in the future.”

She is right. The government should hold an independent review to establish guidelines that ensure that when children are being placed, family ties do not trump a criminal record for child abuse.

Children’s aid societies should not place kids with relatives convicted of child abuse