CHILDREN'S AID SOCIETY FAILURE

A seven year old child was slowly beaten to death over a period of months in Toronto. She was in the custody of a couple who received custody from the child's mother who was a drug addict. Last Saturday's Waterloo Region Record carried this story titled "Child services failed girl, 7". The child's school contacted child welfare authorities five times based upon noticeable injuries as well as prolonged absences. There was ample information at two agencies to have rescued Katelynn Sampson from her abusive guardians but it never happened.

The coroner's inquest into the child's death had many recommendations. The problem simply was that those responsible for her safety above and beyond her guardians did not act when it was desperately needed. Apparently there were other agencies besides Children's Aid who had knowledge and should have acted but failed to do so. All these agencies knew that both guardians had criminal convictions although the newspaper story does not say what they were for. A truly horrific case and a grotesque failure by our child welfare authorities.