In the four months since Oct. 1, 39 children receiving government care have died, and 123 others were critically injured, according to a quarterly report released Wednesday by the B.C. Representative for Children and Youth (RCYBC).
Of the 39 deaths, nine are currently under review to identify any trends in care that could have contributed to the deaths. Two of these nine children died in government custody.
The quarterly numbers were typical for B.C., varying only slightly from those seen since March of last year, when the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) changed its reporting policies.
This change roughly tripled the number of critical injuries counted by the RCYBC.
Chief investigator John Greschner said Wednesday that this quarter’s numbers were “not surprising” and that their office had seen recently “real improvements” in their relationship with the MCFD.
The MCFD agreed with Grescher in a statement Wednesday, saying that “the Representative for Children and Youth has indicated that she is pleased with how the ministry is reporting critical injuries.”
This latest quarterly review comes just days after the release of an investigation report into the 2008 murders of Kaitlynne, Max and Cordon Schoenborn by their father.
Local news from metronews.ca/vancouver
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