Update: Brothers returned to parents
BevK May 19th, 2006
http://www.canada.com/mon…bee64eb&k=50041
A judge has ordered that a severely diabetic boy and his older brother who were put into foster care be returned to their parents, effectively ending a three-month battle between the couple and youth protection services.
But Judge Ginette Durand-Brault imposed strict conditions yesterday on issues of health care and education to which the parents readily agreed.
What the parent’s agreed to:
To get back their children, the parents were forced to compromise on issues of schooling and health care for the boy who has Type 1 diabetes, the most severe form of the disease.
The parents had been home-schooling their children and had settled on a regimen of diet and insulin with the boy’s previous doctor, who retired last year.
The judge ordered the parents to follow a diabetes treatment regimen set by Dr. Constantin Polychronakos of the Montreal Children’s Hospital.
The parents and the two boys, age 9 and 10, must also meet at least once a week with a youth protection worker. The social worker will also have access to the diabetic boy’s medical file.
As well, the judge ordered that the boys finish their school year at the schools where they are enrolled.
The parents are also not allowed to discuss with the children in any negative way what has happened to them.
“There is to be no discourse, in order to protect their psychological peace of mind so they won’t be damaged by this,” she said.
Finally, the judge ordered that both parents undergo a psychological examination.
The case is not over, however. A new date is to be set for final witnesses and arguments concerning youth protection’s motion to have the children put in foster care until the end of the year. The judge said she will rule on this motion before June 15, when she begins a three-month leave.
If the parents adhere to the provisions set out by the judge, the children will not go back into foster care, Grant said.
OK, this is Canada, not the United States, but I can’t believe the level of intrusion into this family’s life.
