ELIZABETH FRY SOCIETY: yes to a public inquiry

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Release Date: June 24, 2005

Heather McKenzie, the Elizabeth Fry Society’s Outreach Coordinator, indicates that, “approximately 35% of my clients are presently working with the Children’s Aid Society to maintain custody of their children”. Donna Phillips, Executive Director states, “in working with women and their families on a regular basis, we have identified many discrepancies in the manner in which the policies and procedures of the Children’s Aid Society are interpreted in the apprehension of presumed at-risk children in our communities”. These interpretations raise many questions, provide very few answers and lack a clearly identified course of attaining information for involved families and/or support agencies.

Many women, who are part of this procedure, often are left feeling powerless and overwhelmed by bureaucratic procedures and feel they have no recourse for support and protection for the family unit from an agency that was put in place for their benefit. As a result, these women, through fear of unfair treatment, often turn away from this agency, instead of toward it for assistance and guidance. It is our belief that the original mandate of the Children’s Aid Society is to support and advocate for the family as a unit; to explore all available avenues with parents and children that would provide a working plan that would lead to a healthy, intact family.

Phillips states, “in light of the information we have received from our concerned clients, the Elizabeth Fry Society strongly supports the call for an immediate inquiry respecting the Children’s Aid Society of Nova Scotia. It is necessary to investigate the accountability of policies and procedures as well as measure the quality of performance of the organization”.

In order to be of true value, we support that an inquiry be carried out by an objective third party. It is our belief that an inquiry, structured and implemented in a positive manner, will only work to the benefit of all concerned parties. Our organization is also concerned with the Department of Community Service’s apparent failure to complete a mandated review of the child welfare system in the province. It is our understanding that this procedure has not been followed since 1999.

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Background Information
The Elizabeth Fry Society of Mainland Nova Scotia supports and advocates for women in conflict with the law and those at risk of becoming in conflict with the law. The Society works hard to provide preventative programs in the community to assist women before they enter the criminal justice system. The Society has been working with women in mainland Nova Scotia since 1982.

For more information regarding this release please contact:
Donna Phillips
Ph: (902) 454-5051, Cell (902) 449-0737, Fax: (902) 455-5913