Children’s Aid and Child ‘welfare’ are known as child protection agencies and referred to as “the Agency” throughout this section.

Child ‘welfare’ is a separate section of the Department of Community Services. They are responsible for such services as:

• Child Protection
• Adoption
• The care and custody of children
• Counseling of parents

Outside the metro area, private agencies provide the services of child protection. These agencies work with the Department of Community Services but they have their own social workers. So, if you live in the Halifax area, you would be under the jurisdiction of the Halifax Children’s Aid Society and if you live in New Glasgow, you would be serviced by the Pictou Children’s Aid Society, and so on.

First and foremost, it should be said that there are some very caring and sensitive social workers within the child protection system. They are genuine advocates, not enemies. There are also some children who are in very real need of protection from abusive or negligent parents.

However, there is also a great deal of power held over the heads of single mothers by child protection social workers. This has led to a feeling of bitterness and distrust on behalf of single mothers towards this agency that is supposed to be helping and protecting children. And with good reason.

Under the direction of law, we, as single mothers, are required to adequately house, feed and clothe our child(ren). However, these laws have been created by the same government that then presents us with a ‘welfare’ cheque that has been documented time and time again as falling thousands of dollars beneath the poverty line. The minimum wage, which is also set by the provincial government and which many women are paid, is also thousands of dollars beneath the poverty line.

If, in the opinion of friends, families, neighbours, or case workers, we are failing to adequately provide for our children, the Agency can and will come into our homes and take our children. Anyone can call the department anonymously and report that we are neglecting or abusing our children and, without further questions, the province will begin an investigation. While it is necessary for some children to be protected from abuse and neglect, I cannot help but wonder just how many of these investigations are based on unfounded complaints.

On the other hand, there is no recognition for a job well done. If we manage to clothe, feed, and house our children, we risk sarcastic remarks from the public about how good ‘welfare’ must be paying us and the government becomes reluctant to raise the minimum wage (or any wages!). Absolutely no thought is given to the fact that we must be “wonder” women to manage our measly budgets and stretch the dollar the way we do.

If your child is placed in a foster home, the foster parents will receive, on average, $18.73 a day, per child for shelter and miscellaneous, while a single parent on social assistance will receive on average $4.16 a day per child for EVERYTHING except shelter. A mom on social assistance receives absolutely nothing for medical and dental expenses for herself or her child(ren). While I don’t deny the right of foster parents to this money, why does the Department of Community Services pride itself on keeping families together, yet they punish single mothers for not having a man around! This is just one of the many, many ridiculous contradictions in the Department’s policies.

The children’s aid act, known as “The Children and Family Services Act” was brought in 1991. The purpose of the act is to “protect children from harm, promote the integrity of the family and assure the best interests of children.” In order to do so, the act lays out the conditions under which children can be taken from their parent(s) and placed in custody, and what happens to be the child(ren) at that point. Our children can be taken away from us if Children’s Aid believes there is a risk of the child suffering or if the child has already suffered:

• Physical harm
• Sexual abuse
• Emotional harm, as shown by the child being severely anxious, depressed, withdrawn, self-destructive or aggressive
• Withholding of essential medical treatment
• Withholding of essential treatment for developmental or mental condition
• Neglect
• Abandonment or death of parent
• Neglect or lack of supervision leading to the child killing or physically harming someone
• Neglect or lack of supervision leading to the child damaging someone else’s property on more than one occasion

Of course, if you are aware that your children are in danger, you should take steps to remove them from that danger yourself. If there is a fight or dispute in the house and you are afraid for your children, call the police or remove yourselves from the situation and then phone the police. You may consider sending your child(ren) to stay with a trusted relative or friend, if you are unable to protect them yourself. Do this before placing your children in Temporary Care, which might result in hassles when you try to get your child(ren) back. If you must place your child(ren) in Temporary Care, contact a lawyer first so you know what you are getting into, it can be very difficult to get your children back. If you yourself need help, contact the appropriate people to obtain that help. No matter what, surround yourself with the support of family and friends to help you through this difficult time.

If someone threatens to take away your children, you should immediately contact your local legal aid clinic and prepare your defense to get your child(ren) back. Take with you all the information you have to your first meeting with the lawyer to save time, and bring along a friend or family member for support. Legal aid considers apprehension (the taking away) of children an emergency and will appoint you a lawyer and have you prepared for your first court date, which is within 5 days of apprehension. At this time, the social worker who apprehended your child(ren) must provide evidence to the court that your child(ren) have been apprehended for a good reason. You must show that you have been and will continue to be taking steps to look after your children, and to improve whatever situation they may have been removed from.

Unfortunately, it is often difficult to make improvements within such a short time frame, but you must at least show you are trying. Child Protection can help with some aspects of these improvements, such as providing you and your child(ren) with money for travel (bus passes), recreation, and daycare. While it is good to be able to think of Children’s Aid as providing services and safety for your children, the lack of funding for services can make Children’s Aid seem like more of a hassle than a help.

As with social workers – the people who work in Children’s Aid are not always enemies. There are some genuine, caring people. However, there are also some workers who have their own ideas (usually wrong!) about who and what single mothers are and how we raise our children. There are also overworked, underpaid, and generally burnt-out workers who have had to shut off their emotions in order to get their work done. The important thing to remember is to keep your calm, know your rights, assert yourself and find someone who will be on your side to help you through this situation. This is harsh to say, but these people have a lot of power over you and your child(ren), you need to be careful and very aware when dealing with them.

See the Numbers to Know chapter to find the addresses of your local Legal Aid Clinic and Children’s Aid office.