 |
| Retrieved from http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/first-responder-still-disturbed-by-soul-destroying-sight-of-starved-boy-1.1446078 |
Summary
“Jeffrey
Baldwin, 5, starved to death by grandparents” is a web page article posted by
the Ontario Coalition for Accountability webpage.
Jeffrey Baldwin was apprehended by Catholic
Children’s Aid society as well as York Children’s Aid Society, and put into the
care of his grandparents along with 3 of his siblings. Four years after his
grandparents received custody of these children, Jeffrey died of bacterial
bronchopneumonia as a complication of chronic starvation. A few weeks before
Jeffrey’s sixth birthday (when he died) he weighed a mere 21lbs, the same
weight he was on his first birthday. When Jeffrey’s grandmother, his primary
caregiver, placed the 911 call on the morning of November 30, 2002, she seemed
rather annoyed during the taped conversation rather than concerned (Ontario
Coalition for Accountability, 2014). She said Jeffrey had just recently stopped
eating and drinking and “he may have a touch of the flu (Ontario Coalition for
Accountability, 2014).” “Apparently my grandson is not breathing right now (Ontario
Coalition for Accountability, 2014).” Elva only requested the services of a
police car but dispatch told her they were sending an ambulance.
Paramedic,
Marc Douglas, was absolutely horrified when he came to the house in response to
the 911 call. “You see something like that and it’s just soul destroying. It was complete and utter destruction of
dignity to any child or human being (Ontario Coalition for Accountability,
2014).” Mr. Douglas comments on how he is usually able to “switch off” and not
take disturbing images from his work home with him, but with Jeffrey it was
different (Ontario Coalition for Accountability, 2014). “It got so bad I
couldn’t sleep at night. Every time I closed my eyes I would see it for days
afterwards. Very rarely in the 18 years I’ve been in service has that happened (Ontario
Coalition for Accountability, 2014).” Douglas was shocked by Jeffrey’s
condition but the rest of the family seemed unconcerned. When paramedics were
working on Jeffrey in the ambulance, not one family member came out of the
house to see what his condition was. When Toronto Fire Capt. Royal Bradley went
to knock on the door, Elva answered looking annoyed and made a comment to him
to keep it down because there was a child just inside, sleeping on the couch.
She showed no emotion (Ontario Coalition for Accountability, 2014).
Jeffrey’s
grandparents, Elva Bottineau and Norman Kidman, have been convicted of
second-degree murder in Jeffrey’s death.
These grandparents were granted custody without so much as a background
check. They both had a previous child abuse conviction (Ontario Coalition for
Accountability, 2014). Once the grandparents were given custody, the case file
was closed and there were no check-in’s being done at the home to make sure the
children were safe in their new environment. “Moreover, no worker performed any
background checks and no internal checks of past society files. Had proper
checks been done, they would have revealed a horrific history of incapable
parenting and child abuse (Ontario Coalition for Accountability, 2014).”
During
Jeffrey’s inquest, information came out that Jeffrey hadn’t been to a doctor
since he was 17months old, he was not enrolled in school and neighbors never
saw him outside.” Jeffrey and one of his sisters were frequently locked up in
their cold barren bedroom, soaked with urine and feces (Ontario Coalition for
Accountability, 2014).” The evidence told to the jury shows that Jeffrey “had
been a hidden, neglected, malnourished child, who ultimately succumbed to his
maltreatment (Ontario Coalition for Accountability, 2014).”
Big changes
were implemented at the CCAS and children’s aid societies across Ontario after
Jeffrey’s death. This includes increased family history, background and record
checks. Relatives who become caregivers are also subjected to the same
standards foster parents and adoptive parents must meet (Ontario Coalition for
Accountability, 2014).
Opinion
I wanted to
provide a bit more background information about Jeffrey. I watched a very
touching and emotional video about little Jeffrey that provided some
information about his life as well as showed pictures of the condition Jeffrey
was in with his biological parents as well as later with his maternal
grandparents. It is approximately ten minutes long and I would suggest watching it.
It may be difficult to watch emotionally due to some graphic before and after photos but we need to be aware of these types
of situations so that we can stop them. I got this video from https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/jeffrey-baldwin-memorial#home.
Jeffrey
Vincent Baldwin was born on January 20th, 1997 to parents Yvonne
Kidman and Richard Baldwin. His parents were young and had four children
quickly in their relationship. Jeffrey had two older sisters and one younger
brother. The Catholic Children’s Aid
Society took Jeffrey and his 3 other siblings away on April 28, 1998, due to
allegations pointing towards the mother violently shaking Jeffrey. Jeffrey was
only 16 months old at the time.
Jeffrey was
then given to his maternal grandparents as protection against his biological
parents. Little did CAS know that Jeffrey spent his time at his grandparent’s
house locked away with his sister in a dark, cold bedroom full of filth. This
bedroom’s window was taped up and the vents were closed. Jeffrey and his sister
were locked up in this room for up to 14 hours a day. They were not even
allowed to go to the washroom so they would use the floor of their bedroom.
Elva, Jeffrey’s grandmother, would make these children clean up their urine and
feces. She called them "pigs!" When they were allowed to come into the kitchen, they were forced on a
shoe-mat and given trash to eat or table scraps in a dog bowl (Boyce & Rishes, 2014).
 |
| Retrieved from http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/first-responder-still-disturbed-by-soul-destroying-sight-of-starved-boy-1.1446078 |
Jeffrey died
on November 20, 2002, at the age of 5, and weighing only 1 lb. heavier than he
did at the age of 1 (when he was taken into custody of his grandparents).
Jeffrey died from bacterial pneumonia, septic shock and starvation. He was
found dead in his bed with his little blanket on. He was covered in bruises,
sores, holes and scabs (Boyce & Rishes, 2014).
As seen in
the Ontario Coalition for Accountability website, paramedics were disturbed by the condition of
Jeffrey. They were still horrified and dealing with possible post-traumatic
stress disorder.
When I read
this article it actually brought tears to my eyes. A young boy dies due to
serious and severe abuse and neglect by his own maternal grandparents. How can
this be possible? Why did CAS not conduct the proper checks to make sure this
child was going into a safe environment? What I find super scary is that Elva,
in 1970, pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily harm in the death of her 5
month old baby girl, Eva (Boyce & Rishes, 2014). How could CCAS miss this?
Again, a simple criminal check would have seen this and Jeffrey could still be
alive today. And what happens to the CAS workers involved in Jeffrey’s case?
They probably lost their jobs when really they should have been charged with
manslaughter. It was their job to ensure that Jeffrey and his siblings were
safe and they failed. Not only did CCAS fail Jeffrey but so did his biological
parents. That’s why it is extremely important and necessary as a parent to not
give up when your child is taken. It is easier said than done, but it is
necessary because you really don’t know how safe your child is and whether
people are doing their jobs checking in with your child. You need to keep
fighting! You need to stay on top of visitations. You need to communicate with
your children. If you see anything concerning on visitations, you need to be
active and give your child a voice and let that voice be heard by CAS, the
government or the media. Although your child is not in your care, you are still
responsible to care and love your child.
I believe if a child has been apprehended by
CAS and a court order for custody has been granted to a different caregiver,
relative or not, it should be mandatory for CAS to check in on the family periodically
during the first year to make sure the children are safe and functioning
appropriately. Due to CAS’s neglect, this child died in the hands of evil and
it could have been completely prevented if the protocol was followed.
If you would like to make donations towards a life size bronze memorial statue of Jeffrey wearing his Superman costume, you may do so at https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/jeffrey-baldwin-memorial#home. The statute will be constructed in a manner allowing children to interact with it (Boyce & Rishes, 2014). This statute is honor of Jeffrey and will become a centerpiece tribute within Greenwood Park, Toronto. “It will be a symbol to everyone about how important it is to be diligent about reporting suspected instances of child abuse to prevent another needless death such as Jeffrey’s (Boyce & Rishes, 2014).”
There was an inquest held on Monday September 9th, 2013 to examine the events surrounding Jeffrey’s death. You may check out the results of the inquest and what the jurors’ recommendations were at http://www.thestar.com/news/crime/2014/02/14/merge_all_childrens_aid_societies_jurors_tell_jeffrey_baldwin_inquest.html.
Citation
Jeffrey
Baldwin, 5, starved to death by grandparents (2014). Ontario Coalition for Accountability. Retrieved from http://ontariocfa.com/2013/09/10/jeffrey-baldwin-5-starved-to-death-by-grandparents/
Boyce, Todd
& Samantha Rishes (2014). The Story
of Jeffrey Baldwin. Retrieved from https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/jeffrey-baldwin-memorial#home
Jones,
Allison (2013). First
responder still disturbed by 'soul-destroying' sight of starved boy. Retrieved from http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/first-responder-still-disturbed-by-soul-destroying-sight-of-starved-boy-1.1446078
Blatchford,
Christie (2013). Photo of Jeffrey Baldwin at
the time of his death from evidence provided by the coroner. Retrieved from http://o.canada.com/news/six-adults-were-witness-to-jeffrey-baldwins-torment-inquest-told/
1.
How did this article make you feel towards
Ontario Children’s Aid Societies?
2.
What could you do to help prevent child abuse?
No comments:
Post a Comment