Institutional-style group homes across the province should be replaced with more family-oriented foster care, says a new report by the province's child advocate.Judy Finlay, who leads the Office of Child and Family Service Advocacy, is recommending that the "family-like" system be expanded to replace the group homes, which have been operating for years with numerous complaints and no standards forcing them to give good care.
"We have to re-examine group care – it does not work," Finlay said in an interview.
The group home system in Ontario has had long-standing and well-documented problems. There have been reports of children in group homes being tied up or restrained for emotional outbursts, police being called to handle minor disputes, and an overall structure more institutional than family-oriented. -- The Star
When I was growing up I had a friend from a nearby group home. He had a new (and very fashionable) winter jacket every year. He had a new bike every year. He went to Disneyland every year with the other kids from the group home. He got to eat good food every night (they BBQed lots of steaks and chicken breasts, as I recall).
I, in the meantime, was being raised by a single, unwed mother on assistance. My "previously used" winter jacket was half silver from the amount of duct tape needed to keep the remaining down from escaping. My bike was built from other bikes I salvaged from dumpsters. I've yet to visit Disneyland. I remember eating puffed wheat with skim milk from powder for weeks at a time because it was the only food in the house. When we did occasionally get meat, it was usually something along the lines of pork hocks (which made those dusty three year old tins of escargot that came in the food bank hampers look pretty exotic to me).
I would respectfully suggest that when Ms. Finlay is done investigating group homes she should start investigating single unwed mothers and the effect they have on their offspring. I'm guessing that what she finds will make the whole group home thing look pretty tame.
Have we no poor houses? Have we no asylums?
Sean...I see your point that there is a problem with wealth distribution(socialism in the wrong hands)
But money couldn't buy what you had, and governing agencies cannot snap there fingers and ta da...it's a family...
It sounds like you had it tough, but you had family...and I'm assuming you have come out of the 'penniless' years as a survivor.
Do you know how the other kids turned out?Are they still expecting 'handouts?Have they carried on the 'non-family' tradition(almost a subculture)?
A lot of foster care doesn't work either. But, it does keep the Social Workers employed - probably a more lucrative job than working in a group home.
The comment quoted from The Star that group homes operate under "no standards" is completely wrong.
All group homes operating in Ontario must be licensed under the Child and Family Services Act. The regulations are extremely detailed, from permitted and prohibited disciplinary practices, right down to the minimum size requirements for bedrooms, and the temperature of water coming out of the tap.
In recent years there have been efforts by the government ministry to encourage more use of foster care and other alternatives to group home care. One result is that the children and youth currently in group homes represent the most challenging, highest need, hardest to serve kids. They are kids that even the best trained, most caring foster parent would have great difficulty managing. In fact few foster parents are able or willing to take in these kids.
It all sounds very caring to decry group homes as a modern day version of a Charles Dicken's orphanage, but group homes are part of a system created, regulated and funded by the government. The need for group care is going to be with us for a very long time, so it would be better to find ways to properly fund them, and make them work better.
"but group homes are part of a system created, regulated and funded by the government. The need for group care is going to be with us for a very long time, so it would be better to find ways to properly fund them, and make them work better.
Posted by: Harold at June 21, 2007 11:24 PM "
You need say no more Harold...especially...but group homes are part of a system created, regulated and funded by the government.
Seems the old Soviets operated that way to. You campainging for Taliban Jack???
What would you propose then Justthinkin? What would you do with these thousands of children currently in group homes across this country?
Turf them onto the street? make them work for their living accommodations/food?
I too was a product of single parent household, welfare the whole nine yards, but you won't see me decrying group homes as having it better or advocating for their removal......but I can say this, steak, new clothes and Disneyland would never have replaced the value of my upbringing provided by my family...
Bah my foster parents lied all over their apps, and they got approved no problem. My favourite set of foster parents, the fourth in the first year I went in. Just turned 15. Side note, I had a couple of foster brothers in group homes, got out for weekends, and they weren't talking about disneyland. Wasn't nice. Anyway, my foster dad was a recovered alcoholic, so they figured that there were no drinking problems in their past, cause they were over. So the paperwork was clear. Didn't last long, my fourth and last home that I lived in before I got my own appt, I was their second "placed" kid. Two years later, he's drinkin like a maniac, and she's popping pills like crazy to stay sane. Cause she's been married 3 times, some crazy relationships, did I mention that? Don't think she did on the app. So I grew up conservative. Out of the 18 "so called" parents I had growing up, what with the real parents, step parents and foster parents, almost every one of them were liberals.
As an ex foster parent for 7 years of high profile children of the kind that land up in group homes. If I learned one thing working with these kids, it was if their lips are moving they are lying. It was too bad for the Klassen family and others, that more were not aware of this fact. These are kids that if they were adults they would be in jail or committed to a mental asylum. They are also very much in need of a good spanking, but you are not allowed to give them any form of discipline, you can not even withhold their allowance, that is usually spent on drugs. The social workers are mostly clueless on how to work with these kids and some are afraid to even be in the same room alone with these kids. The judges let them get away with almost anything. One judge let a foster kid off with time served,one night for 14 charges of breach of probation. Kids laugh at the law.
Most of these kids are victims of abuse, although there are some that are just born bad. But without forcing these kids to become responsible for their own actions there is little hope for these spoiled brats.
"but you won't see me decrying group homes as having it better or advocating for their removal......"
All the group home kids I knew DID have it better. Which is alright, because I think that childhood should be comfortable and secure. I also have no problem with society stepping in to make sure that kids without parents, or kids who are better off without their parents, have somewhere decent to grow up.
"but I can say this, steak, new clothes and Disneyland would never have replaced the value of my upbringing provided by my family..."
Physical abuse. Sexual abuse. Substance abuse. Yeh, I could have lived without that. Living without that and getting steak would have been even nicer.
Any real home for a kid is one mother and one father and some brothers and sisters if possible NO GAY OR LESBIAN ABOPTIONS and SCREW THE ACLU
Often when I am walking through my neighbourhood, I see people having supper, in a house better than mine, and I think, they must be so much happier than I am because my house is smaller. Than I slap myself on the head, and laugh, things never make anyone happier, they don't solve your problems, they are just things. I usually go home and give my kids extra hugs, knowing that I'm very lucky.
So, I hope all those kids could get those special hugs too, from someone who cares, but I'm not strong enough to let them into my family, I wish I was.
The best things in life ... aren't things.
We had no money. Eight kids I was part of. Military upbringing but no drill sargent.
Result.:" no criminal records, for any of us kids.
My kids:same thing... no criminal records.
And no psych degree here folks.
One rule: there ARE RULES... DON'T BREAK 'EM.