Social workers moved in to apprehend this infant 90 minutes after being born by C-section because staff believed the mother wasn't being attentive enough.
An hour and a half after enduring a C-section delivery at a Kamloops hospital, an Indigenous couple was exhausted but elated as they met their baby girl – a first child for both.
But their joy was short-lived when an hour and a half after she was born, social workers came in to take Baby H, saying they’d had a report of neglect.
“They were shocked,” said the paternal grandfather, who questions how one could be labelled neglectful and have someone issue a birth alert to apprehend in just 90 minutes.
“Luckily the (maternal) grandmother was there and she held them off, at least for a while.”
APTN News isn’t naming the baby or the family as the child remains in the foster system.
Two days later, on June 14, social workers came back, reportedly two hours late for a meeting that had been scheduled with the family.
But the mother was asleep from a sedative medical staff had administered.
When she awoke she learned her newborn was gone.
The apprehension was widely shared as an Amber Alert by anti-CFS activists on social media over the weekend with calls-to-action to contact the agency responsible – Secwépemc Child & Family Services.
But Secwepemc CFS responded to the outrage saying they had “refused service on this request” and that it was Kamloops Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) that took the baby.
Baby H is now eight days old and has spent six of those essential parental bonding days in foster care.
The father’s home community has gotten involved.
“There are no grounds to take that child and no need for that child to have gone through this,” said Dr. Rohan Ghatak, health director for Tl’etinqox band, which is fighting to have the child returned.
(A mom cuddles her newborn daughter moments before CFS arrived to apprehend the 90 minute-old baby on the grounds of neglect)
The baby has been transferred to foster care in Williams Lake, B.C.. where her parents live and have been able to visit her for two hours a day under the watch of CFS.
The family has found unexpected allies in two Williams Lake social workers who were wrongly identified on social media as being the agency that apprehended the infant.
Ghatak said they are, in fact, assisting to get the child back and supporting the family at a mediation hearing set for June 25.
“We’re trying to come to a reasonable understanding so we can get things right,” Ghatak said.
If mediation doesn’t end with Baby H being given back to her parents that day, there is a court date set for June 27 to try again.
She will be 15 days old then.
Thirteen of which the newborn has been without her parents but for short supervised visits.
Ghatak says he can’t comment on what put the family on CFS’s radar in the first place.
The baby’s paternal grandfather said some of what troubled him was social workers allegedly telling hospital staff that the couple is homeless.
“They’re not, they have a two-bedroom apartment. Then the story changed to they live in a group home – not true. They don’t drink or use drugs.
“There’s no reason for this.”
He says both parents are frustrated and exhausted.
“(Agencies) are playing all kinds of games,” said the grandpa. “(The parents) are under a lot of stress. I took my son to a sweat lodge (Wednesday) night to help out but they have a lot of anxiety and stress.”
He also believes they were stereotyped.
“They saw them as being vulnerable and this being an easy baby to take and when the family stepped up they did everything to keep the family out of it.”
The B.C. Ministry of Children and Family Development responded to the incident Friday via emailed statement that, in part, said, “We know that children thrive when they are able to be with their families, connected to their communities and their culture; and that the first few days with an infant are critical – not just for bonding, but ensuring that their needs are met, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.”
But despite knowing this, they apprehended Baby H.
The ministry says it can’t discuss specifics but “is focussed on balancing the safety of a child or infant and keeping kids with families or extended family.”
Baby H is not with family or extended family. She is in a non-indigenous foster home.
As for having any grounds to take the baby, the ministry would only say “by law, the ministry can only remove if the child is in immediate danger and no less disruptive measures are available.”
The family says no other measures were ever discussed when social workers came in demanding the 1.5-hr-old baby.
Baby H could be home as early as June 25.
More to come.
What ever happened with the poor baby and the family. This is insane.
I believe this is kidnapping and corruption as well as child trafficking and it is costing children their lives in some instances
The ministry says it can’t discuss the specifics? Why is this society/community even allowing them to not discuss specifics?
How is it possible to accuse a mother of neglect when she just gave birth one and half hours earlier? She was given a sedative…this is government abuse….genocide….taking babies from one group and giving the baby to another group. Its genocide.
Only in Canada is genocide considered OK. Natives dont deserve their kids
This was a terrible decision by some zealots. The parents and grandparents deserve a very different kind of interaction. This is not support, this is cruelty.
CFS are horrible people!, this couple needs to sue there asses off!
This is the most disgusting behavior by “(un)qualified” CFS personnel I have ever read about.
Fire each one of them and launch a massive lawsuit against the office and every individual involved.
Unconscionable abuse of “power”.
So they take kids that aren’t in danger and put others in dangerous situations and never check on them. Heads are going to roll for this. Keep up the pressure and keep this in the public eye.
And people think Trump is bad.
What the hell is wrong with cfs
Why are the people of Kamloops Ministry of Children and Family Development not being arrested for kidnapping? This is clearly a major overreach of their authority and they acted with nothing but malice. Seriously, people need to be charged and fired for this. There is no way in hell they could ever prove that child was in danger so they obviously had an ulterior motive.
Oh my god ..I lament over trumps separation of families at Mexican border. B C Canada reported somthing like this a couple of weeks ago & it was supposed to be stopped but it looks like BC authorities dont like to be criticized & are stepping genocide
These heartless bullies are all over Canada. The “bullies” have intentionally destroyed families of the Original Peoples. I know many non-natives who have stepped up to see and understand us. I will offer Assema and prayers for not only the parents and family of the stolen baby but will pray for the bullies as well.
It sounds so wrong, but we will probably never know the whole story …
CPS is Human trafficking.
I am livid at the BC ministry of children and family development. I am literally shaking I am so upset for this poor BRAND NEW MOTHER & HER FAMILY. SHAME ON YOU BRITISH COLUMBIA MINISTRY OF CHILD AND FAMILY DEVELOPMENT FOR NOT REMOVING THE RED TAPE AND WAIT IT SHOULDNT HAVE EVEN GOT THIS FAR OMG I THINK IM GOING TO PUKE. WOW. I CAN NOT BELIEVE HOW A GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT THAT EXISTS TO PREVENT ABUSE EXECUTE ABUSE SO SMOOTHLY? HOW ARE YOU AS A GOVERNMENT GOING TO FIX THIS? DO YOU GUYS HAVE A TIME MACHINE UP YOUR SLEEVE OR WHAT? To the person who started this whole sick, INCREDIBLY SAD, reality freak show-HOW DO YOU SLEEP AT NIGHT? I hope you don’t. EVER AGAIN.
To the family, have faith do not ever doubt yourselves. EVER and when ALL these wrongs are made right and the years pass, If you find yourselves questioning if you’ve done everything you can to give your beautiful daughter the knowledge/tools/means to survive on her own in this ugly unjust world-do not let a demon of thought take hold in your hearts that you could have prevented this. I am sorry someone has done this. I believe your family should be heavily financially compensated for the rest of your lives. Even if every British Columbian hell every CANADIAN had to pay a 100$ every year to see that money at least will never ever ever be a worry it would be worth it in my eyes.
Omg…Wrong! So WRONG!
What the hell ,is it because they aren’t white???
Horrific. I wonder if the parents questioned vaccines. Yeah, it’s getting that insane.
I am absolutely disgusted at the system for being so incredibly racist right now. It’s just wrong that this kid was taken so young. We need to rethink the way we handle situations like this. No infant should ever be taken from his mother unless it’s literally life and death. Even hunger and poverty are better endured when you’re with family, and are by default better than living in the system.
this is not an Amber Alert, this is kidnapping
This is just so sad these cps worked are horrible their are other children that are out their who really need their help this poor family don’t diserve this at all that’s all thy do is take baby’s hurt family’s go after them who need their kids taking just cuz some family member don’t like a situation thy shouldn’t call CPS I have had the sad incounter of having two of mine taken we need to put a stop to this kinda thing my prayers are with the family don’t give up ever
Appalling. No normal person can understand how social workers of this ilk can behave like this.
Any government organization that can do that and any that supports it is unethical and needs to be cut from the system entierly.
This is absolutely infuriating. How can a 90 minute old baby under the watch of parents and hospital staff be neglected? Shame on everyone involved in ripping this child away from it’s family and culture.
This is Bull.. Give them back their child..
Give them back their baby!!! I’m sick of seeing this, there is NO reason for these people to have lost custody of their child other than CFS wanting to make a profit off of the adoption… someone needs to be supervising the people who make these decisions!!!
My foster daughter just had a baby boy in Kamloops also.. They attempted to apprehend her baby because he was born premature .. They said he showed signs of drug withdrawal.. Drug tests showed nothing.. Yes they tested the baby!! My girl worked as a flagger until she was 6.5 months pregnant and moved to her home community from Vancouver to be with family when she delivered.. The attempts to apprehend without just cause is nothing short of the 60s scoop.. Time for our people to stand up to this government Interior Health and MCFD.. All of these organizations needs to have a modernized mandate that works with families instead of destroying them..
Wow me and my partner are going through the same thing
This is so unfortunate and wrong! I always seem to hear of CPS taking away kids that are just fine. Yet leaving those who actually need help to fend for themselves. Really makes you think about how broken the system is..
I grew up in an abusive household, full of alcoholics, and everyone smoked inside with the windows shut. I had visible cuts, visible bruises, missed school and social services was called 5 times on my mother.
Yet everytime they would say it’s all fine and leave me there.
So when I hear about kids who are wrongly taken from loving homes, oh it really gets me mad. Something needs to change.
Straight talk
We have been thru cfs and they are not there for best interest of families or first nations rights. Give to grand parents to keep.
This is wrong on so many levels. Socials workers need to do there research before taking a child from it mother no matter the race. I have been through something like this with family and the ministry always trys to pass the buck. If that child is not in a native foster home then it better be returned home.
Child theft.
Canada, you don’t get to critique the US anymore. Your policies towards your indigenous people are nothing short of genocidal
Please help bring this baby home!! The Audacity of those people!! WHO works in that hospital and gave the CFS a heads up about this! The hurt that everyone in that family feels must be over the top .. GIVE THE BABY BACK!!!
Prayers sent for the parents and families, and for safety and protection of the child.
How the hell is this allowed without policies and procedures properly followed.? Where’s the factual evidence and not people’s opinions on this matter? I definitely shared this post, and pray the family is put together immediately.
People involved in the removal of the child must be held responsible and accountable as well. People in this field are there to protect all children and families; not tear them apart at such a pivotal moment in time nobody could ever get back. I take this same oath very seriously.
This beautiful soul was torn from the family, refused basic touches, kisses, and unconditional love it desperately needs. By doing this the child also never received the proper amounts of colostrum that it needs for the basic development, growth process, and survival. The parents didn’t even get a chance to honour or process this new soul. The mother also had a c-section and didn’t even have a chance to defend the child she has a legal right to do.
Wow this should never be allowed to happen anywhere. I also hope support and counselling will be provided to all family members immediately, at no cost to them ever regarding this situation, that would be a start at the resolution process and healing for them.
Absolutely heartbreaking and I’m angry at the way this situation has been handled. There’s a beautiful and precious new soul on this earth and this is how people are being treated. Where’s the civil rights and charter of rights and freedom act being upheld here? Where are the laws parents have as rights to a child they helped create? Last question. Has society really gone for far from our basic fundamentals of life that parents stand idle as their children are kidnapped?
In closing of my opinion Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should be on this type of abuse and cruelty; this is a serious problem and laws absolutely should be in place so this never happens again to any family.
The situation described here is outrageous and totally unacceptable. I fervently hope that the baby is returned to her parents immediately. This sort of action must stop. Whoever is responsible for this should fired.
The father’s family has “gotten” involved! just saying!
CFS & agencies should stay out of the affairs of families – all kids that end up in care end up much worse off – seriously, after 90 mins! That is discrimination! They had to have somehow unfairly targeted this family, and all it does is ruins everyone’s lives. I hate CFS / MCFD, all of those bullies
How can I help??!
This is Disgusting! They were stereo typed due to their indigenous background. This shit makes me want to live off the grid!
Prayers to the baby and the family. Sincerely hope baby is with mom and dad soon.
What?
There are enough unwanted kids…why are they trying so hard to keep wanted ones?
I completly understand this has this happened to me 5 months ago and have only been able to see my son 1 time a week for an hr of supervised vist…. im not full native but am 1/4th… they took my son from me citing neglect(lack of parental supervision).. i live in rhode island and i beleive the only reason they took him is because i had just moved up here from nebraska and am in a very low income situation therefore cant afford a lawyer. The court appointed lawyer i have is àmazing she was able to get me into somthong called baby court. But dcyf(which is what they call child protective service here) managed to get it overturned stating “their lawyer and judge didnt understand what they had signed…. this discrimination needs to stop.
I often think “is there more to the story” “ are these parents truly do innocent”???
It just doesn’t seem like CfS goes around taking children because they have a demand/need for foster kids… but this particular story sounds so legit!! Those poor parents!! This time is so critical for bonding and development!! They didn’t mention it but if that mom was to be breastfeeding they have seriously caused that baby harm denying him breast milk. My heart hurts for them from one parent to another I cannot imagine what I’d do…go seriously insane I think!
If cfs in BC is so desperate for clients, they need to help agencies that are overloaded as opposed to destroying perfectly innocent healthy family’s!! Their primary mandate is to protect and advocate for children!!….not harm them which is what they did here!!!
Omg this also happened in Edmonton to a young girl and her boyfriend. Apparently someone reported the bf kissing the baby inappropriately. This is untrue as I know the father. So much bull crap from cfs. Honestly. This supposedly happened in the hospital as well. Too many times our people are going to rise and start taking a stand. Bring our children home.
Wow, this is terrible to hear. Babies need their moms. Strength and love to this family and to this innocent baby H, I hope you are being held and loved.
wow what bullshit id be going to every news station possible with this get it out there fore the world to hear
That is the most rediculous act on the ministies part… every one of those social workers shud lose their job! This is redivlous!!
Reports of neglect?! This is the couple’s first child! It never ends! Angry? Call Child & Family Services Office for Kamloops.
It frightening how quickly Child and Family Services is able to swoop down and take someone’s newborn baby. This seems to happen all too often in the First Nations Community
The baby is caucasian looking, therefore easily adoptable, so of course CFS/MCFD/Whatever wants it to sell to the highest bidder. Child trafficking at the simplest form.
This is disgusting and not uncommon, Native child services has been know to apprehend babies without Due cause, Mom and baby can’t get those crucial bonding moments back. Then they will accuse the mom of not having a bond with said Baby.
Outrageous