We are calling on the BC government and Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) to dismantle the framework for policing and surveilling families.

The current culture, policies, training, and tools that guide the family policing system in BC are profoundly harming families. Risk assessment tools perpetuate and reinforce colonial, racist, ableist, misogynistic, and classist biases. This has created a culture of risk and surveillance that upholds ongoing colonization in the lives of Indigenous children, youth, families, communities, and Nations.

Without rooting out the current culture of risk and surveillance and investing in desperately needed structural supports for families, any proposed reforms will continue the legacy of tearing families apart and profoundly harming them.

In an open letter, West Coast LEAF, Keeping Families Together, PACK BC, YWCA Metro Vancouver, BC Association of Social Workers, and Raincity Housing urged then Premier John Horgan and members of the Select Standing Committee on Children and Youth to root out the culture of risk and surveillance at MCFD.

Alongside Keeping Families Together, PACK BC, YWCA Metro Vancouver, BC Association of Social Workers, Raincity Housing, Sanctuary Health, Pivot Legal Society, Native Women’s Association of Canada, BC Complex Kids, and Single Mothers’ Alliance of BC, we resent the open letter to Premier Eby, Hon. Mitzi Dean, and members of the Select Standing Committee on Children and Youth urging the BC government to show leadership in its approach to child and family well-being.

Read the open letter (PDF, 778kb).

 

Take action

Now is the time to challenge MCFD’s culture of risk and surveillance. Join us in calling on the BC government to stop tearing families apart!

Send a letter to your MLA, Premier David Eby, Hon. Mitzi Dean and the Select Standing Committee on Children and Youth.

Add your voice!

 

MCFD’s culture of risk and surveillance has profound impacts on families and communities. Our gratitude to members of Keeping Families Together who shared their experiences of this harmful system.

Hands reaching for each other. Keeping Families Together logo is at the bottom. Text reads: I have seen my family torn apart and seen the failure from MCFD in doing proper risk assessment of my own family members who were harming their children spiritually and emotionally. The whole system is designed to fail my people and as a result it is the new residential school. Anonymous.   Placard sign at the bottom reads Facing the truth of the past and present violence. Keeping families together logo is at the top. Text reads: The family policing system is "a modern-day residential school system. This has to stop!" Rebecca, member of Keeping Families Together

Baby and adult hands clasping each other. Keeping Families Together logo is at the top. Text reads: My husband came to the hospital and the social worker had told the nurses he wasn’t allowed to be there, so they called the cops. The cops showed up and threw him around and put him in handcuffs and he went into psychosis. They didn’t realize his situation, just assumed he was on drugs. He ended up in the psych ward and I had the baby alone through a c-section. They’ve been in our lives ever since. Shannon, member of Keeping Families Together   Baby's hand on an adult hand. Keeping Families Together logo is at the top. Text reads: Even when toxicology reports showed no alcohol and drugs, I was still labeled as a drunk, still stereotyped, it’s not a system of innocent till proven guilty. Robin, member and founder of Keeping Families Together

 

 

Understanding the culture of risk and surveillance

Graphic drawing of MCFD's culture of risk and surveillance. Image contains the problem, project values, the outcome, proposed solutions, and calls to action.

Thank you to Michelle Buchholz of Cassyex Consulting for her inspired work on the visual primer!

Download the visual primer (PDF, 482kb).

Download a Word doc image description for the primer (.docx, 140kb).

Download a PDF image description for the primer (PDF, 463kb).

 

Learn more about our child welfare advocacy Communities of Practice project.