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Fact Sheet for Hospitals 1. All services provided by Child and Family Services are mandated by legislation known as the Child and Family Services Act. Some of these services are voluntary and happen only at the request of clients. Some of them are involuntary such as Child Protection, Abuse, services to Minor Parents, and services to children in care. 2. The mandated portion of the Agency's responsibility to a minor parent involves making contact with the pregnant or parenting child [depending on when the referral is received by the Agency] and assessing the plan that the child has for their own child upon birth. If there are no Child Protection concerns, the Agency may remain involved in an educational or support capacity, or may find that there is no need for involvement, and contact will be terminated at that point. If the young woman has made a decision to relinquish, there will be involvement by the Agency, perhaps with a brief placement in a foster home under a Voluntary Placement Agreement while the timelines for adoption placement are met. If there are child protection issues, the Agency will remain involved. That involvement may be as little as monitoring for a period of time, or as extreme as placing a child under apprehension and placing in a foster home upon discharge. In the event of an apprehension, the plan may be to work with the young mother in a foster home in the hope that she will be able to parent, or to pursue a permanent order and place for adoption. It goes without saying that expediency is always in the best interest of a new baby if it is at all possible. However, experience has also taught us how important it is for separation issues to be dealt with at the time. 3. In situations where an apprehension occurs, an Agency worker will inform hospital staff of the apprehension (see attached form). You will be advised as to whom may have contact with the child while in your facility. Within four clear days, the worker will be required to file in Family Court stating the order the Agency is seeking and spelling out access. The access the Agency specifies will be enforced until such time as a Judge decides its appropriateness. Children do not need to be moved into Agency facilities to be under apprehension. They may be left in places such as hospitals which are considered to be "places of safety", or at times they may even be left in their own homes while the Agency seeks an Order of Supervision. 4. Hospital staff should always ask for identification from workers who enter the hospital on business to ensure they are who they say they are. You may wish to get written instructions at the time for the chart. If workers are pressed for time, or on after hours when they have no access to stenos, these instructions may be hand-written. Agency staff are not required to do this. However, if this practice makes things easier for ward staff in contentious situation, feel free to request it. 5. If someone not authorized to do so attempts to remove a child from the hospital, there is no expectation that you will try to stop them other than to advise them that the child is under apprehension and you have been instructed that the child is not to be removed. Immediately notify the Agency [the Police if there is immediate risk]. The Agency number is 857-8751. If the assigned worker is not in, ask for the Supervisor or the Intake Worker. On After Hours you will reach an on call worker who will respond to your concerns. This document has been prepared for your information and assistance. If you have questions about it, please direct them to the Supervisor of the area in which your school is located. Their names are in hypertext. The agency is responsible for only the portions of these divisions which fall within the boundaries of the Central Region of Manitoba.
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1996/97/98/99/00/01 All rights reserved Child and Family Services of Central Manitoba.
Last Modified: Sunday June 17 21:53:32 CDT 2001.