A chance to reach out and advocate for equality and to strive for excellence
To the Expositor:
The executive director of the CAS Sudbury/Manitoulin announces that Kina Gbezhgomi is reducing its staff on Manitoulin and closing its office. To a point this is a good news story. After 20 years of advocating for stand alone children’s services, it has finally has come to fruition.
If you have personally had involvement with the CAS, several questions come up. Once First Nations do take over, they (Sudbury-Manitoulin CAS) do not have an office here in our geographic location. The closest office is two hours away. The CAS will be increasingly causing once again more stress to the family unit even more so than currently, not being able to respond to parental visits that the court makes mandatory and so many other issues. Each worker will have two hours of travel time, court time and increased costs.
I would hope our Member of Parliament works towards having Kina Gbezhgomi Children Services take over the contract on the complete Manitoulin Island. Think about it, what a great happening that would be. Ask those who are affected by CAS issues. With the reputation First Nation communities have for caring for their elders that would indeed carry over to our youth and the family unit, I think they would “raise the bar” many times over the current CAS. The current CAS, which is as well a private entity contracted by the government, free of any ombudsman’s examination, accountability and not a government organization.
The Rainbow District School Board has recently hired four social workers who, without question, are better qualified and moreover, in total, are registered with the college of social service workers of Ontario as required by law. Not all current CAS workers are registered now stating they are called child protection workers even though they are holding themselves out and performing the daily duties of a social worker.
We can only hope and pray the First Nations will consider serving our needs here on Manitoulin and if staffing is an issue, hire on the CAS staff currently employed provided they upgrade their qualifications and register with the College of Social Workers. Let’s give it a try and place our trust with them. Some say it certainly could not be worse considering many fronts not to mention the now distant outreach from where else, Sudbury.
We have a chance here to reach out and advocate for equality and strive for excellence.
Larry Killens
South Baymouth
