That's messed up. I've never heard of that happening in Canada; and as you know, I worked in the field for 6 years. I'm going to have to research that case a bit more, see what I can find because (a) a 2 year wait is unheard of, especially in London, (b) being in the govt's custody really shouldn't make a difference in wiat times and (c) being told that giving the govt permanent custody is the only way to keep thus sevices is obviously messed up and totally unheard of.
I remember hearing about the Grignards, it was big news in Guelph for a while.
Sadly, that does kind of seem to be the way it works in Ontario. I've seen parents of kids with disabilities who were forced to put their kids into care, albeit temporarily, in order get the support they needed. The issue with CAS is that it seems that once you've been in care for a certain amount of time, you either need to be put back with your family or moved into care permanently. I've never heard of parents being forced to permanently relinquish custody in order to give their kids access to support, but I've known lots of young adults with disabilities who had to live in group homes or otherwise supported living arrangements - they couldn't live with their parents and get a home-worker for a few hours a day, because the gov't wouldn't pay for it and their families couldn't afford it.
Parents of kids with disabilities who want the right services for their kids have to either have deep pockets or good insurance; few agencies are able to provide services to kids with custodial parents. Once the kids are in care, the government's deep pockets are much more accessible to the parents.
THe Children's aid society was founded over a hundred years ago. What it would do is take immigrant children from the slums of NY whose parents were either dirt poor , alcoholics or single fathers (and sometimes mothers) and put them on trains to other parts of America- usually rural parts and platform them in front of these farm families who would then either bid or voluntarily take the kids into their home to raise them. THe catch was that many of these children were torn from their families without consent and/or became laborers in their new "family". It was rare that the children adopted out of the CAS were treated as the families biological children were. THere were some good stories to come out of the CAS, but overall, there are many painful histories of torn families and missing siblings, etc from that era.
While this situation is a bit different, CAS is imposing abandonment of the children as a way of trying to give them a "better" life instead of supporting the family unit as a whole, which , when possible, is always the best solution...After over a hundred years, you'd think we'd learn something....
I suppose I have mixed feelings on the whole subject. My family went through something somewhat similar with a sibling of mine who had a form of extremely high functioning autism but was extremely violent and a danger to pretty much everyone for a period of years. It never came to the point of the people in the article but I understand to a certain degree just how maddening and horrible social aid systems are in the US and how some people may feel they have no other option.
It's a tough call, I think, especially if you've lived in a situation like this.
This happens in the US all the time. Most states do not have what Connecticut calls a "voluntary path" that allows parents secure the extensive services many autistic and mentally ill kids sometime need. Insurance only goes so far; it won't provide extended care beyond hospitalization. I know; I've been there. But in CT, I didn't have to give up my parental rights to get my kid the level of care we needed three years ago when he was really, really sick.
And only three states require parity for mental illness by law. All other states? You can be refused any coverage for care related to mental illness. I'm not sure about autism.
I know I'm muddying the waters by talking autism and mental illness in the same breath, but half of the autistic population also suffers serious mood disorders AND both childhood populations are likely to fall through the same cracks.
Time magazine had an article about this situation two or three years ago. It focused on mental illness and surrendering parental rights rather than autism. I'll try to find a copy of it and send it to you, if you like.
during my son's hospitalization for bipolar disorder, I sat in the hospital cafeteria many times, talking with other parents of children in the program. one mother has been forced to surrender her parental rights to CPS...TWICE. her son's bipolar disorder is so severe that he has been hospitalized ten times in the past four years, often for several weeks at a time. she has no resources left, and must 'give him up' in order to get what he needs. it's crushing, but it also seems dangerous...couldn't the plan backfire on a parent, so that he/she is not allowed to regain custody??
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tiem for a lil' civil society involment folks!
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Sadly, that does kind of seem to be the way it works in Ontario. I've seen parents of kids with disabilities who were forced to put their kids into care, albeit temporarily, in order get the support they needed. The issue with CAS is that it seems that once you've been in care for a certain amount of time, you either need to be put back with your family or moved into care permanently. I've never heard of parents being forced to permanently relinquish custody in order to give their kids access to support, but I've known lots of young adults with disabilities who had to live in group homes or otherwise supported living arrangements - they couldn't live with their parents and get a home-worker for a few hours a day, because the gov't wouldn't pay for it and their families couldn't afford it.
Parents of kids with disabilities who want the right services for their kids have to either have deep pockets or good insurance; few agencies are able to provide services to kids with custodial parents. Once the kids are in care, the government's deep pockets are much more accessible to the parents.
It's a horrible system in lots of ways.
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history repeating itself in a new way
While this situation is a bit different, CAS is imposing abandonment of the children as a way of trying to give them a "better" life instead of supporting the family unit as a whole, which , when possible, is always the best solution...After over a hundred years, you'd think we'd learn something....
has it gotten better?
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It's a tough call, I think, especially if you've lived in a situation like this.
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And only three states require parity for mental illness by law. All other states? You can be refused any coverage for care related to mental illness. I'm not sure about autism.
I know I'm muddying the waters by talking autism and mental illness in the same breath, but half of the autistic population also suffers serious mood disorders AND both childhood populations are likely to fall through the same cracks.
Time magazine had an article about this situation two or three years ago. It focused on mental illness and surrendering parental rights rather than autism. I'll try to find a copy of it and send it to you, if you like.
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