How Could You? Hall of Shame-Canada-Jack-Child Death

This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.

From Edmonton, Canada, foster child Jack, aged 7, “died on July 31, 2012, when he drowned in the pool at Edmonton’s O’Leary Leisure Centre.

He was on an excursion with the Stepping-stones group home when his caregiver left him alone for a few minutes, and he drowned in the deep end.

Because he died in provincial care, Child and Youth Advocate Del Graff conducted an investigation into what went wrong. He published that report on Tuesday.

Jack was born in the Maritimes in 2004, with cocaine already coursing through his blood. The name is a pseudonym; his real name is protected by a publication ban.

He spent his early years living with his impoverished, addicted parents in cheap motel rooms. They were transient, and moved to Alberta when he was four.

Jack’s mother panhandled and used her boy as a prop, telling strangers she needed money for her son.

Jack was eventually apprehended by the province.

His foster parents found he could name all the chocolate bars, but none of the vegetables. A doctor reported he was “underweight and malnourished.”

His parents missed appointments, failed to attend drug treatment and skipped parenting courses.

They dodged some drug tests and flunked others.

His mom “had large sums of unexplained money,” Graff wrote. She may have worked in prostitution. His dad went to jail, then was released.

They told Jack he would be coming home soon, that they’d purchased a trampoline and a pool for him.

Jack was confused. He told a psychiatrist nobody cared about him.

He suspected he was headed for adoption, and once told his mother: “Well, you know Mom, I’ve been in care for two years.”

He was right. His caseworker applied for permanent guardianship, but his parents fought the application, and the court battle dragged on for years.

Eventually, Jack was placed with a family that wanted to adopt him. After a few weeks, he became violent.

“Jack did not know why he was being destructive,” Graff wrote. “He would only say that he was sad.”

He was moved to a group home despite objections from his therapist. “He was so upset that it took the caseworker along with two colleagues to get Jack into her car,” Graff wrote.

On the day he died, Jack, 7, changed into his swimsuit by himself and waited on the pool deck. An internal review said he had recently obtained his first Red Cross swimming badge and was excited to go swimming. He went into the pool with a group home staffer, who briefly turned her back.

Seven minutes later, he was dead. Paramedics tried for more than an hour to revive him. They could not.

Doctors later asked the caseworker if Jack’s tissues be donated.

A senior child welfare official gave consent, because his parents could not be reached.”

The short life of a sad little boy: Child in provincial care drowned in pool[Edmonton Journal 1/21/14 By Karen Kleiss]

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