Foster parents charged, accused of assaulting children in their care

Two foster parents in north Winnipeg are accused of abusing children in their care, including one who was in critical condition Tuesday, in a case that has Manitoba’s children’s advocate seeking answers.

A 25-year-old foster mother allegedly assaulted two of four kids who lived at her home, with life-threatening injuries being inflicted to the child who was critically hurt, police said in a news release.

“It’s devastating news when we hear a child has been seriously injured. It’s equally devastating when it involves a foster parent,” said Sherry Gott, Manitoba’s advocate for children and youth, whose office is conducting a review of the situation.

“I hope the best for this child and the other children that have been taken into care and moved to another place. I hope that this child survives and thrives.”

The children were moved to a “safe environment,” Gott said.

Investigators from the Winnipeg Police Service’s child abuse unit said the critically-injured child was assaulted one or two days before officers were called to the home last Friday.

Neither school-aged child received immediate medical care after being assaulted, police said.

The foster mother was charged with aggravated assault, assault, and failing to provide necessaries of life. She was held in custody and remanded until Thursday. A publication ban was granted in court on Monday.

A 26-year-old foster father faces a charge of failing to provide necessaries of life. He was released on an undertaking. Police withheld the pair’s names in a bid to protect the children’s identities.

Officers went to the home after receiving a report of a seriously injured child, who was taken to hospital. Three more children in the home were taken to hospital to be assessed.

One of those three showed signs of being assaulted and was in stable condition, said police, who declined to comment beyond the information that was in a news release.

No one answered the door when a Free Press reporter visited the family’s home Tuesday.

Two neighbours said they saw police officers and Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service members converge on the home Friday evening.

Fire engines arrived first, followed by several police vehicles and ambulances. Later, a WPS forensics unit was on scene, said a man who lives nearby.

The man said he seldom saw the children.

“They were very quiet. They kept to themselves,” he said of the family.

Gott’s office has the authority to investigate serious injuries of children and youth who received a reviewable service, such as child welfare.

She said her office completed a basic review after being notified, and will move to a thorough review once it receives all the information it needs. It’s too early to say if the review will lead to a more comprehensive investigation.

“It’s devastating news when we hear a child has been seriously injured. It’s equally devastating when it involves a foster parent.”

“It depends on if the child was failed by the system,” said Gott. Investigations can occur if there were failures to check on children in care or failures to follow standards, she added.

Gott said she is not permitted to reveal the name of the child and family services agency that was involved with the family.

“I would love to because I’m very upset. This child is vulnerable,” she said.

Gott said provincial regulations require CFS workers to visit a child in care once every 30 days. It was unclear when the most recent visit occurred at the home, or what kind of pre-placement screening took place.

“It reminds me of the Phoenix Sinclair situation… when (an) agency does not go in and check to see the children are being well cared for,” she said. “If there’s incidents that happened in the home, they should have noted that right away and ensured the safety of those children.”

Five-year-old Phoenix was killed by her mother and stepfather in 2005, after slipping through cracks in the child welfare system. There were gaps between home visits.

Gott said she is concerned about licensing requirements for foster homes in Manitoba, and she wants to know if the home in question was licensed.

“Was that done?” she said. “This is what my question is: (were) foster care standards being met in this case?”

Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine declined to comment on the specifics of the case, citing the ongoing investigation.

“Any time children are harmed is not a good day for Manitoba, and certainly not a good day for families,” she said at an unrelated event.

“Right now, we’re focused on making sure that those children get the supports that they need and that the (police) have the information that they need to be able to do the investigation.”

The families department reported 6,314 children in foster homes as of March 31, 2024. A provincial unit conducted reviews of 67 foster home abuse investigations in 2023-24, as per an annual report.

Manitoba Foster Parent Association president Jamie Pfau said she was heartbroken when she learned of the latest allegations of abuse.

“Our thoughts are, of course, focused on the children who were harmed and their family, and just really hoping they heal from this,” Pfau said.

“It reminds me of the Phoenix Sinclair situation… when (an) agency does not go in and check to see the children are being well cared for.”

She said abuse in foster homes is “extremely” rare but preventable.

“I just think that this incident, and all of the others, are a symptom of this system that isn’t functioning,” Pfau said.

Past reports by the auditor general and advocate for children and youth produced dozens of recommendations to improve the system, she noted.

Pfau would welcome more training and supports for prospective and existing foster parents. She said she often hears from parents who are struggling at a time when agencies are having a hard time finding placements for children.

Gott advocated for “appropriate resources” for families involved with the system and CFS agencies.

Pfau said the screening of foster home applicants in Manitoba varies from agency to agency, and the frequency of home visits is also inconsistent.

She said a worker visited her home every second month on average to check on a child or children in her care, while some agencies she dealt with had gaps of nine to 12 months between visits.

Pfau said she doesn’t blame agencies, authorities or front-line workers, who often have large caseloads, including multiple clients with high or complex needs, that become bigger when there is staff turnover.

“It’s the system,” she said.

— with files from Tyler Searle, Malak Abas, Erik Pindera and Dean Pritchard

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca