October 15, 2025

On October 13, 2025, I wrote a 16-page letter to the Director of Operations for Resources at the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD).
It wasn’t the kind of letter any mother should have to write.

I wrote it because my six-year-old son, Bennett, was taken from BC Children’s Hospital against medical advice — while he was still admitted and under full supervision. I wrote it because I had already presented a family-led discharge plan, supported by his doctors, therapists, and care team, that would have allowed him to go home safely.
And I wrote it because the Ministry ignored that plan, ignored the professionals, and ignored the law.

A Bureaucratic Breach of Humanity

On August 28, 2025, MCFD apprehended Bennett without verified evidence of risk, without consultation with his medical providers, and without a lawful basis for removal.
He was a medically complex, autistic child — safe, loved, and protected — and they took him anyway.

Every safeguard meant to prevent harm was bypassed. The Child, Family and Community Service Act (CFCSA) — the legislation that governs MCFD — is clear: removals must be a last resort, family must be included in planning, and children must remain connected to those they love.

Yet Bennett’s case became a study in how easily those principles can be ignored.

What My Letter Documents

The letter I sent to MCFD lays out, in painful detail, the Ministry’s statutory and policy breaches. It describes how:

• Section 2 (Least Intrusive Measures) was violated when the Ministry bypassed a safe, court-approved kinship plan and placed Bennett in an institutional setting with untrained staff.
• Section 4 (Best Interests of the Child) was ignored when MCFD severed his ties to the only caregivers and therapists who understood his medical and developmental needs.
• Section 5.1 (Collaborative Planning) was breached when I was excluded from decision-making and sent a “Draft Family Plan” six weeks late — full of false, defamatory statements.
• Section 70 (Rights of Children in Care) was trampled when my son’s FaceTime calls were cut off, his communication silenced, and his bruises left unexplained.

These aren’t minor procedural errors — they’re human rights violations.

A System That Punishes Advocacy

After I reported visible bruising on my son’s body and unsafe medical care at the group home where he was placed, the Ministry didn’t investigate — it retaliated. My visits were canceled, my access restricted, and my voice silenced.

This is what happens when a system built to protect children treats parental advocacy as a threat rather than a partnership.

The Law Says He Should Be Home

Under Section 33.2 of the CFCSA, when the reasons for removal no longer exist, a child must be returned to their parent or guardian. I have been medically cleared since early September. I am healthy, capable, and ready to resume my son’s care.

But the Ministry refuses to act.
Instead, it continues to hold Bennett — a vulnerable, young, autistic child — in a setting where his safety, comfort, and rights are compromised every day.

What I’m Asking For

In my letter, I called on the Director of Operations to:

1. Order Bennett’s immediate return home.
2. Suspend the false “Draft Family Plan.”
3. Investigate the conduct of MCFD staff involved in his removal and care.
4. Audit the medical safety of his placement.
5. Disclose all records related to his case, as required by law.

Why This Matters Beyond Bennett

This isn’t just about one child.
Bennett’s story reveals a broader truth about what happens when bureaucracies replace compassion with control, and when policies meant to protect become tools of power.

MCFD claims to act “in the best interests of the child.” But how can that be true when a disabled six-year-old is taken from his bed, stripped of his supports, and silenced for speaking about his pain?

A Call for Accountability

If the Ministry fails to correct these breaches, I will continue to speak out — publicly, persistently, and transparently.

Bennett’s name deserves to be remembered not as a file number, but as a little boy who loves paw patrol and his mother.

Read the full letter here:

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