Forced to surrender boy to Children's Aid care, family fights for better mental health support

A family forced to surrender custody of a 13-year-old boy to the Children's Aid Society (CAS) say there is virtually no care for him and other traumatized kids like him in the London region and beyond. 

The boy's mother and grandmother point to a lack of services and a system that has only made the boy's problems worse since he entered the Children's Aid care six months ago, moving between group homes, live-in treatment centres, hotel rooms and finally a home with no programming, therapy or access to school while he waits for treatment.  

"I feel as though I am grieving the loss of my son, because I am watching him slip further and further away from me and there is literally nothing I can do," said his mother. "The things that he's been through are unimaginable and there are no resources whatsoever. 

The boy is one of nine kids from the London region who don't otherwise need CAS support but have been surrendered by families to the organization's custody, desperate for any kind of mental health treatment, according to numbers provided by the Children's Aid Society of London and Middlesex.

In the case of this child, his behaviour was putting himself and his family in danger, and his grandmother, who is his legal guardian, decided it was the only way she could keep everyone safe. CBC News is not identifying the family as the child is a minor, and is in care. 

"They're often juggling multiple diagnosis, such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, attachment disorder, combined with other challenges such as histories of trauma, possibly developmental challenges and certainly attachment challenges," said Chris Tremeer, the agency's executive director. 

"When you roll that all together into a young person, you often end up exhibiting aggressive behaviour as well, and those are the families that tend to be coming to us, where the behaviour has escalated to the point where they're not able to manage that safely in their home anymore." 

The 13-year-old boy's mental health began deteriorating three years ago, when he found his mom's fiancé dead of an overdose. He received some psychological support. Then, last year, the boy was assaulted by a woman who has since been charge with luring a minor, sexual assault and making sexually explicit material available to a minor. 

CAS has duty of care

The boy's mental health worsened after that. He became violent with family members, including his younger sister, and threatening to harm himself and others. Trips to the emergency room ended with doctors sending the child home, where his mom and grandma were worried for their safety.

Police officers had to be called to the home because of violent behaviour. No one was able to help get the boy the specialized mental health care that he needs, his grandmother said.

I am watching him slip further and further away from me and there is literally nothing I can do- Mom of boy surrendered to Children's Aid Society 

"He gets funded for six counselling appointments and he doesn't talk for the first three, and then when he finally starts opening up, it's the sixth visit and he's reached the maximum," she told CBC News said. 

If he had gotten the treatment he needed immediately, the family believes his mental health would not have degenerated so much, his grandma said. 

"I've looked at videos from four years ago, and you wouldn't even know it was the same kid. He's so much worse than he was even six months ago. I don't see any light at the end of the tunnel."

Surrendering a child to the Children's Aid is not a magic solution — the agency doesn't provide specialized mental health services, and it doesn't have a shortcut to care, Tremeer said.

But families who can't get help for their kids any other way are forced to surrender them, just to get some sort of help and respite for themselves. They enter into a temporary custody agreement with CAS for six months, with the possibility of renewal. 

When kids are given up to the agency, however, it has a duty to care for them, Tremeer said. "We're trying to avoid a structure where more folks are coming to our attention in an attempt to get services," he said. 

Therapeutic homes opened

"We don't want to create that self-fulfilling prophecy of, 'If I surrender my child, they're going to get more support.' We don't want children having to come into care to get support."

Since being placed in CAS care, the boy has lived in facilities run by Craigwood and Bartimaeus but his behaviour often overwhelmed staff and there was little consistency in his care, his grandmother said. He was also placed in a hotel room for a while, where he continued to act out.  

Youth in care are living in London hotels. Children's Aid explains why it's dangerous

1 year ago

Duration 1:47

The Children's Aid Society (CAS) of London and Middlesex says it's run out of placements for youth. It's had to resort to hotels. Gerry Healy, a crisis intervention specialist with CAS, says something has to change.

London's CAS has opened three two-bedroom homes where kids can get around-the-clock supervision and services. All three are currently full, and the agency will soon open a fourth therapeutic home because of the demand. 

"We have, as an agency, committed to providing high quality care in a family environment as much as possible for all children coming into care of the society," Tremeer said. "We've had children or youth living temporarily in our office building. We've had to place children and youth in hotels. These are not normal living environments." 

But that level of care isn't built into the child welfare funding model, Tremeer said. London's agency is facing a $4 million deficit this year, with a forecast of $6 million next year. Provincially, more than 23 agencies are facing deficits, to the tune of $53 million.

NDP MPP Terence Kernaghan called the province's under funding of the children's mental health "disgusting." 

Kids in the therapeutic homes are supposed to get behavioural therapy and counselling, he added. The goal is to get the kids stabilized and then moved to licensed community group placements or secure treatment facilities.  

Province responds

The 13-year-old boy is now waiting for a place to open where he could get treatment, and is in limbo, his grandmother said. He hasn't had access to schooling in over four weeks and has little quality of life as he sits on the wait list. His family has been told, if treatment comes, it could be as far away as Ottawa. 

"I used to say that if I was ever in a position where I felt like my son or daughter was going to be taken from me, I would flee the country. No one is taking my kids from me. And here, I have no choice," the boy's mother said through tears.

In an email, the province's ministry of health said it is investing $3.8 billion over 10 years to build a "modern, world-class" mental health and addictions system across the province.

"As part of our government's historic, permanent investments in pediatric care, we are investing $44.6 million to expand access to pediatric mental health services across the province. This investment will expand access to community-based intensive services for children and youth with complex mental health needs, add 10 complex care beds, including in London, and add 2,200 clinical training spots at Children's Mental Health Ontario (CMHO) to train clinicians who treat to children and youth with complex service needs across the province," the statement read.