Achi news desk-
A Calgary mother has launched a human rights complaint as she fights for custody of her disabled son.
The 11-year-old boy was accepted into a program at Hull Services in 2022, but now the family are being told that time is up, and if they don’t take him off the program, they could lose the custody
The mother, whose name Global News is not using to protect her child’s privacy, says they have been through a series of hospital stays, emergency stays and pleas for support.
“We ended up with hospital trip after hospital trip after hospital trip. Each of those brought a different diagnosis,” he said.
“They couldn’t commit to him one-on-one at school, so I couldn’t work. It all comes down to: there isn’t enough.”
The mother said her son was recommended to the pre-adolescent treatment program through Hull Services in 2021, but funding for those beds can only be obtained through a referral through a social worker with Alberta Child and Family Services.
“I was met with: ‘Well, that forces us to take your child. That is abandoning a child.”
After a visit to the office of the minister for Children and Family Services in 2022, he received an offer for placement. That would allow him to live at home part-time during what would normally be a program of up to 18 months.
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The 11-year-old has been there for two years, but his family say he’s not done yet.
“He has a wonderful relationship with his brother and is starting to have relationships with other children,” his mother told Global News.
“We have a program that is supportive, beneficial to him, we are seeing progress, it needs more time, and now I am in danger of losing it because it needs more time,” he said .
“I can’t bring him home as things are. I can’t bring it home to keep doing the exact same thing over and over again.”
Earlier this month, she said she obtained a court order for the ministry to obtain permanent guardianship of her son. She said social workers told her that would be dropped if she withdrew from the program.
“They’ve told me he could be in a group home. They will look for continuity for him, including adopting him to another family,” said the mother.
“But if I take it out now and have everything go away, we’ll undo everything we’ve done.”
The Ministry of Children and Family Services said it cannot comment on individual cases for privacy reasons.
However, in a statement, a spokesperson for the ministry said that they work “with the family whenever we can to keep the child or young person safe while they stay in the home, and with the ministry and community partners to assist in mitigating interference concerns.
“A child is only removed from the care of their parent or guardian as a last resort when their safety and well-being is at risk, and the government must receive the approval of the courts,” he said. the spokesperson.
According to the Alberta NDP, the family’s experience is not an isolated one.
The Opposition believes that treatment should be offered through Alberta Health.
“We’ve heard, from many of the families, different variations of the same stories, where they have a child with developmental disabilities and they can’t find the support they need,” said Diana Batten, NDP critic on for Children and Family Services.
In the meantime, the woman promises to continue doing everything she can to fight for custody and continued care for her son.
“I shouldn’t be in the position I am for doing my job as his mother,” she said.
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