Welcome to Colleen's Advocacy

Hi, I am Colleen Deroache, RN. I intend to use this web page generously provided by PAPA to share some of my experience in dealing with trauma created by the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD, the "child protection" agency in British Columbia, Canada). I hope that parents could benefit by not making wrong decisions during MCFD intervention.

While I recognize that there are children who need protection, we also need to prevent harmful unnecessary state-sponsored child removals based on faulty information. Materials below outlines what I think are needed to improve "child protection" for the sake of the children in British Columbia.

1. Collecting stories

It is imperative to document as many cases as possible for the following reasons:

1. To share possible scenarios with clients of MCFD
2. To relate these scenarios to child protection staff, political members, community members and media.
3. To look at trends, similarities and commonalities among these cases.

2. Raising Public Awareness

In order to make ameliorative changes in child protection matters we need support from:

1. people who have not had dealings with MCFD and unaware of the true nature of "child protection";
2. people who are of good standing within the community;
3. people who are able and willing to help financially.

3. Advocating

To prevent inappropriate apprehensions

1. We need to inform parents and children of their rights;
2. We need to support parents during hearings and trials;
3. We need to attend appointments with MCFD to ensure proper communication between the parents, social workers and lawyers.
4. We need to provide emotional support in order to help parents continue to exercise their rights without giving up.

Prevention is the first step in making changes. The more people that put up a fight, the harder it will be for MCFD to intervene inappropriately. MCFD is abusing their authority in many aspects. These include acting above laws (for instance contravening provisions of both CFCSA and the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act). This prevents children from receiving decisions that serve their best interests as intended by the legislations.

1. False information
1. Social workers may collect information from various sources including ex-spouses and neighbors. Without verifying whether it is true or not, they can share such information with employers, extended family, children, friends, and neighbors.
2. Social workers can access personal information (including medical and prescription drug records of all family members without their knowledge) even if there is no proof that parents are guilty of abuse or neglect. They can use the information against a parent in court even if the records are obsolete and irrelevant. These records can include criminal records, medical records, probation records, psychiatric reports, pharmacare reports, and school files.

2. Court proceedings
1. Despite what MCFD would like you to believe, "child protection" social workers do not need proof that their information is correct before testifying in court.
2. Social workers are allowed to use hearsay evidence in court. They can quote a physician, police officer or any other community professional without providing the necessary documentation to back up their claims.
3. MCFD does not always serve parents with court documents or disclosure in time for the parent to prepare for court. In some cases, parents are not even aware that a court date was set until after it has already taken place and an order was made.
4. Parents have little opportunity to defend themselves against the allegations made. A protection hearing is supposed to be held within 45 days. However, MCFD often tries to get a case conference booked which can delay the protection hearing for months, years or permanently. The protection hearing is the only fair opportunity a parent will have to defend themselves. Parents should fight for their right to have a protection hearing no matter how hard lawyers and social workers try to talk them out of it. Lawyers or social workers may tell the parent not to go to trial because the outcome will be worse than if trial is avoided. GET YOUR DAY IN COURT.

3. Agreements and Consents



Social workers use different tactics to get parents to agree to consents for temporary care, supervision orders and continuing custody orders. Social workers may tell parents they have no other choice but to consent. They may tell parents that all access and visitation with their child will be cut off until they agree to sign MCFD's consent. One of the problems with parents signing consents that they don't agree with is that it may be used against them in future court proceedings. For example:

A parent unwillingly consents to a six month temporary custody order because they are told that if they do not consent, their child will be found in need of protection and they will be in foster care even longer. In six months when the temporary order is up for review, the parent goes back to court and is told that MCFD wants an extension for another six month order. The parent disagrees but the judge questions why the parent agreed to putting their child in foster care in the first place. Typically, another six month order is granted.

I made a series of video which can be found in PAPA's Parental Support page and in youTube. Information therein could be helpful to those who are interested to find out the true nature of "child protection" from those who actually received the "services" of MCFD.