WARNING: This story deals with situations that may be distressing to some readers. Discretion is advised.
The story of an 11-year-old Indigenous boy born with medical challenges and placed in numerous foster care homes, eventually suffering horrific abuse at the hands of his mother’s cousin and her partner shows how the system of care in B.C. needs to change, according to a new report.
The Representative of Children and Youth released the report on Tuesday, titled Don’t Look Away – How one boy’s story has the power to shift a system of care for children and youth.
The boy at the centre of the story, named Colby in order to protect his identity, died on Feb. 28, 2021 after video footage four days earlier from the home in which he was living showed his mother’s cousin, Staci, repeatedly beating Colby to the point he became unresponsive.
According to the report, she then waited 40 minutes before calling 911 or seeking help.
“Five ambulances arrived on the scene. When first responders headed to the house, Colby was unresponsive,” the report states.
“One paramedic described being ‘flabbergasted’ by what she saw. Colby was so thin, and cold. His situation was so grave, Air Ambulance and Advanced Life Support were called. The RCMP was also called. According to documents, Staci told first responders and police a variety of conflicting stories.”
Colby was flown by helicopter to Vancouver but when he was examined and found to have injuries to his brain, head, lungs, abdominal organs and skin.
“He was chronically malnourished, weighing just 28.8 kilograms when he died, compared to the average weight of a child his age of 48.9 kilograms,” the report states.
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“The specialists believed his injuries were non-accidental. Radiology revealed that he had multiple fractures and a CT scan showed that he had a traumatic and inoperable brain injury that was incompatible with life.”
Colby was removed from life support four days after the assault and died.
As a result of Colby’s story, the investigation found that a more collaborative approach to child, youth and family well-being should be pursued.
The report identifies four major themes: the prevention of intimate partner and family violence; enhanced family support services; better inter-agency collaboration; and better support for those providing kinship care.
“As the minister, as a mom, there are not words for what Colby and the other children whose stories are shared in this report experienced,” said Grace Lore, Minister of Children and Family Development at the event on Tuesday.
“Every child in our province deserves safety, belonging and love. For each of the children in this report, we must commit to getting it right and rise to the changes their stories demand. We must fundamentally shift our approach to supporting vulnerable families and communities. Supporting child and youth well-being requires an all-of-government approach. It requires working together with community partners, First Nations and Indigenous communities.”
The focus of the work will include: developing a child and youth action plan for all of government that focuses on child and youth well-being; developing an outcomes-based framework for measurement and accountability; strengthening information sharing between ministries and service providers; working across ministries to address the causes and ongoing impacts of family and gender-based violence, especially for Indigenous women, girls, Two-Spirit people and children.
It will also focus on: examining what functions of family supports and child protection can be separated to provide a more co-ordinated approach that focuses on the well-being of children with their families; exploring the reconfiguration of child and family services across ministries including for Children and Youth with Support Needs and Child and Youth Mental Health; and exploring the establishment of a body for the purpose of supporting Indigenous governing bodies with the resumption of jurisdiction.
If you require emotional support the following resources are available:
Kid’s Help Phone (1-800-668-6868, or text CONNECT to 686868) is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to Canadians ages five to 29 who want confidential and anonymous care from a counsellor.
KUU-US Crisis Line (1-800-588-8717) is available to support Indigenous people in B.C., 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The Métis Crisis Line (1-833-638-4722) is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Youth in BC (https://youthinbc.com) Online Chat is available from noon to 1 a.m. in B.C.
Mental Health Support Line (310-6789 – no area code) will connect you to your local B.C. crisis line without a wait or busy signal, 24 hours a day. Crisis line workers are there to listen and support you as well as refer you to community resources.
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Crisis Line (1-844-413-6649) is available to individuals impacted by missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The National Indian Residential School Crisis Line (1-866-925-4419) provides 24-hour crisis support to former Indian Residential School students and their families.