Rescued from conditions that left them ‘feral,’ 3 B.C. kids now require ‘astronomical’ levels of care: guardian

The guardian of three previously neglected children believes the siblings will never fully recover from the horrific conditions they were living in.

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They used to be scared, even of each other.

Now three young B.C. children, who relatives said suffered years of neglect before finally being taken into care, have learned to play together.

And they’ve grown in other ways as well.

“To see them wanting the hugs and snuggles, to see them wanting to touch your face and your hair, and laughing and giggling with them, is the best out of all of this,” said their guardian, who is also a relative.

But she also said that because of what the children, who are Indigenous, went through, their healing journey may never be complete.

“I do believe these are life-long issues that they will have forever,” said the guardian, who can not be named to protect the identity of the children.

‘The conditions were horror’

CTV News first reported on the children last year.

At the time, relatives described the siblings, who are now between five and six years old, as “feral”.

A probe by B.C.’s Office of the Ombudsperson found six documented reports of possible neglect made to authorities over almost four years, before the children were taken into government care. Relatives said this finally happened when the parents contacted the ministry themselves in December 2023 and said they couldn’t look after the children.

But by then, relatives said, the damage was already done.

“The conditions were horror. That’s all I can describe it as. They were living in feces, eating feces, they were (suffering from) malnutrition,” another relative told CTV News.

“I used to work with special needs kids, and I’ve never seen children like this in my life,” she explained.

“I sometimes wish we would have just took them illegally,” the emotional relative said.

‘Astronomical’ amount of care, support required

The children’s guardian said they believed that the kids could have been “next-to-normal” had there been some kind of early intervention.

She said the children still rock back and forth to soothe themselves. They are not potty trained and one of them will eat feces or vomit if not constantly watched.

The guardian also said the children smash walls and hurt themselves and others.

“Scratching, biting themselves, just flailing their arms and legs. Kicking things, slamming their head against the floor if they can,” she explained.

She said if someone tries to intervene, the children may attack them.

“I’ve had caretakers horrifically bitten,” she said.

The guardian said it takes a team of caregivers to support the children.

“It’s astronomical what it’s taking to take care of these kids,” she explained.

Additionally, they have seen countless medical professionals including psychologists, pediatricians and occupational and behavioural therapists.

“We do have a trauma counsellor that not only has seen the children, but that I see on a weekly basis because of the things that we deal with,” she explained.

Struggling to access services

The guardian said the oldest child is repeating words and trying to speak. The other two remain almost entirely non-verbal.

Despite this, she said it’s been difficult to get them into speech therapy because of years-long wait lists.

“These kids just don’t have that time,” she explained.

The guardian also said they have been waiting about eight months since referral to get into a highly specialized program at B.C. Children’s Hospital where they will be more thoroughly assessed.

The children are not in school, and the guardian doesn’t believe it’s an option for them yet.

“I don’t think the schools are equipped to handle (them). I think they would be turned around 20 minutes after they got there,” the guardian explained.

She also said that its worrisome that getting ongoing therapy and supports for the children leaves her at the mercy of the very ministry that failed them.

But she said her love for the children keeps her fighting to give them the best life possible.

Ministry touts changes

The Ministry of Children and Family Development would not comment on the specific case, citing confidentiality rules.

However, the ministry said it has updated its policy so that when the ministry receives multiple calls of concerns, it prompts supervisor to get involved.

The ministry also said it has increased its workforce by almost 20 per cent, meaning more child welfare workers to help children.

The province said it is also taking steps to strengthen oversight and accountability including creating a new Indigenous child welfare director position.

Additionally, the ministry said that it is using new digital reporting to ensure children in care and in out-of-care placements receive regular in-person visits to assess safety and well-being.