Pubdate: Sat, 24 May 2014
Source: Winnipeg Sun (CN MB)
Copyright: 2014 Canoe Limited Partnership
Contact: http://www.winnipegsun.com/letter-to-editor
Website: http://www.winnipegsun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/503
Author: Dean Pritchard
Page: 4
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing)

RANDOM TESTING ORDERED

Check Addict Moms in 'Safe Houses' For Drugs: Redhead Inquest Report

Nicole Redhead was high on crack when, in July 2009, she covered her 
20-month-old daughter Jaylene's mouth and suffocated her.

Redhead at the time was living at the Native Women's Transition 
Centre in Winnipeg, where staff were unaware of her ongoing drug use.

Now a judge is recommending that the province and child welfare 
agencies and service providers work together to develop a standard 
for random drug testing in child protection cases involving custodial 
parents with an addiction issue.

"There does not appear to be any point to sending drug/alcohol 
addicted mothers to supposed 'safe houses' if these people are going 
to have free access to the community without making sure that their 
sobriety is tested," Judge Larry Allen wrote in an inquest report 
made public Friday.

Redhead's placement at NWTC was shepherded by the Awasis Child and 
Family Services agency, which was unaware Redhead was leaving the 
centre on weekends "to party" and leaving Jaylene with her 
grandmother and others.

"If the Awasis Agency felt that NWTC was the preferable option for 
Nicole Redhead, then they simply had to make sure she was randomly 
tested as to her sobriety," Allen wrote. "Because this was not 
done... the risk to the child was not perceived."

The report's 14 recommendations include a call for greater 
collaboration and information sharing between child welfare agencies 
and support services, regular risk assessments, a reassessment of 
caseload guidelines, and increased resources to support children and 
parents suffering from fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

Redhead pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced in April 
2011 to 12 years in prison.

Redhead had regained custody of Jaylene just six months before her 
death. She had repeatedly assaulted the girl in the days leading up 
to her death. The toddler suffered 30 separate injuries, including 
severe bruising and swelling to her vagina and bite marks on her legs.

With respect to NWTC and Awasis, the inquest report paints a picture 
of sloppy record keeping and monitoring and poor communication 
between the two entities.

While the evidence shows NWTC did monitor Redhead's interactions with 
her daughter, Awasis did not ask who was supervising the visits or 
ask for reports.

Those shortcomings however, were not responsible for Jaylene's death, 
Allen concluded.

"While lack of documentation is never a good thing, it does not 
appear that poor documentation played a direct role in the death of 
Jaylene Redhead," Allen wrote.

Allen said Redhead's testimony she was receiving little assistance at 
NWTC was not supported by the evidence.

"It appears that she was not good at asking for help," Allen wrote. 
"It is also possible that if there is a discrepancy between her 
perception and reality, this might... be indicative of her 
cognitively challenged status."

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'Pattern' never questioned

Two of Nicole Redhead's children had been made permanent wards of 
Child and Family Services prior to Jaylene's death. The inquest heard 
it was Redhead's "pattern" to enter the Native Women's Transition 
Centre in an attempt to regain custody of the children, do well for a 
time, and then relapse.

Given that backdrop, why was the decision made to return Jaylene to her mother?

"In light of the above pattern one might well ask why the Awasis 
Agency, as the apprehending authority, did not just proceed through 
court for a permanent order and seek a permanent placement for this 
child," Judge Larry Allen wrote in an inquest report made public Friday.

"The reason provided by Awasis workers... was that the Awasis Agency 
believes that as long as the parent wants to try, then they will try as well...

"If Awasis, or any child welfare agency, is going to operate with the 
"never quit" philosophy, then it seems to me this has to be done with 
great caution. If dealing with a known addicted parent under similar 
circumstances to this case, then the situation must be considered 
high or extreme risk and that designation should not change until 
significant time has passed and the parent involved has emphatically 
established that the risk to the child has considerably diminished.

"In this case, Nicole Redhead did what she had done with both 
previous children and what she had done on each of her three previous 
stays at NWTC: she continued to drink and use drugs. As a result the 
child Jaylene was placed in dangerous situations... and neglected 
such that she was being left alone at only 20 months while her mother 
shut herself in the bathroom becoming 'very high' on crack cocaine."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom