Advocate says progress being made since B.C. child torture death, more work required

British Columbia’s representative for children and youth says some progress is being made to improve the child welfare system, but she’s concerned “fiscal limitations” will prevent timely help from getting to those most in need.

Jennifer Charlesworth’s statement Tuesday comes a year after her report on the myriad of failures that ended in the death of an 11-year-old Indigenous boy who was tortured by extended family members who had been approved to care for him by the government.

She credits the government with making progress on some of the recommended improvements that came out of the report, such as working toward a “child well-being strategy and action plan.”

She said more than 90 per cent of young people are now being seen within 90 days as per Ministry of Children and Family Development policy.

“While some important changes have been made and the commitment remains, we must all work harder to ensure that we do not turn away from children, youth and families especially at this challenging time in history,” Charlesworth said in the statement.

In 2021, the 11-year-old boy, who is identified in the report only as “Colby,” died after being placed with his mother’s cousin and her partner and suffering from abuse described as “strikingly similar in nature to the horrors inflicted on many Indigenous children who attended residential schools.”

It said Colby and his sister were isolated and had little to no contact with anyone outside of the home during the final months of the boy’s life.

The man and woman were convicted of manslaughter for his death and of aggravated assault for the abuse of his sibling. They were sentenced to 10 years in prison.

At the time of her report’s release, Charlesworth said the boy’s death was not an outlier, but rather an example of ways the child welfare system has let down children and families in B.C. and across Canada, despite decades of reports making hundreds of recommendations for change.

In her statement to mark the one-year anniversary of the report, Charlesworth said more needs to be done to help families — including basic income and housing support — and there are still not enough child welfare staff to meet demand.

“I know government joins me in being deeply concerned about our young people and has good intentions, but I am very concerned that with fiscal limitations these good intentions will not translate into timely on-the-ground improvements for young people and their families,” she said.

At a news conference Tuesday, Charlesworth said fiscal uncertainties including conflict with the United States, housing costs, and unaffordability have a negative impact on children’s well-being.

“The other thing is, the government has a significant deficit and is trying to manage that. There are fiscal reviews underway, and what we worry, because we have seen it many times, … (is) that what gets cut are social programs,” she said.

Minister of Children and Family Development Jodie Wickens said in an interview Tuesday that the ministry received a $321 million budget increase this year.

“I am confident that the services that we need to do this work will be protected and are protected. That’s the values that we hold as government,” she said.

A statement from the provincial government says multiple ministries are working on the action plan, which will serve as the “cornerstone” of the province’s strategy to align services.

It says the government is working on a “framework” that will include measurable ways to track children’s well-being and that the Ministry of Children and Family Development is working on documentation guidelines for social workers.

Wickens said a draft action plan is underway and the plan itself will be delivered “within my mandate.”

“This work is generational. It is systemic, and to get it right, it’s going to take some time. It’s not tinkering around the edges. It’s not going to happen overnight,” she said.

“I understand the frustration. I’m a very impatient person myself. I want to see things move fast, but changing our systems and doing it in a way that is the right way for children and families, and for our direct service staff, and for our community, is really important.”

The government said the Ministry of Children and Family Development has increased its workforce by almost 20 per cent in the last two years but Charlesworth suggested that number seemed “inflated.”

She said the government has been focused on filling vacancies but the workforce numbers overall are not sufficient.

In her statement, Charlesworth said she wants to be able to tell Colby’s grieving family that things have improved since his death “but I need to see more change on the ground before I am able to do that.”

“These are challenging times. Government has good intentions and is making progress, but we know from past experience that many reports end up sitting on the shelf,” she said.

“We owe it to Colby to not look away. All of us have a role to play to support young people. We must act for kids now if we want to see our province thrive in the future.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 15, 2025

Ashley Joannou, The Canadian Press