An Edmonton treatment centre for youth has tightened security after a 15-year old was visited by a man staff were told was a social worker.
The man is not a social worker and the boy’s mother said she believes he is sexually exploiting her son.
The woman and her son can’t be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
She complained to staff at the Yellowhead Youth Centre (YYC) after her son, who was staying in the locked wing, told her about the visit.
“Something needs to be done about this!” she wrote in an email to YYC staff on Jan. 23, the day of the incident. “They need to be held accountable for putting my son at risk!”
The mother said the man, who is in his 70s, was able to enter the facility because her son is a “great con artist” who lied and told staff a back-up social worker was coming to see him.
She said the man was there to bring money and his house key to her son, who was about to be released. YYC staff failed to ask for ID or ask the man to sign in, she said.
“It terrifies me, you don’t know who is walking through that door then,” the mother told CBC. “These kids are in YYC because they’re making poor decisions for themselves that are not keeping themselves safe. These adults are supposed to be in charge to make sure these kids are safe. They need to be protected, and it’s their job to protect them.”
The Jan. 23 security breach was confirmed by a source familiar with the case. The source shared the following details with CBC:
- the youth was never alone with the man and nothing was given to the boy;
- within five minutes staff realized he wasn’t a back-up worker and removed him;
- an associate director has reviewed visitor protocols with staff;
- the incident prompted YYC and Children’s Services to review security protocols, and;
- the facility has implemented a new way to track visitors in locked areas, which will be reviewed in three months.
The mother said she was informed of the security changes by a manager at YYC. She said she was told that all visitors must now sign in and out and show ID.
A spokesperson with Children’s Services said the government cannot comment directly on the case.
“The safety and well-being of children and youth is our primary concern and we take all incidents seriously,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “We cannot speak to the specifics of any case due to the confidentiality and privacy provisions of the Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act.”
The boy’s mother said she is pleased with the changes but is worried about her son, whose whereabouts are once again unknown after he was released.
She described a repetitive cycle where her son is picked up on warrants and taken for treatment at YYC on a judge’s order.
He goes through detox, gets treated for sexually transmitted infections and has his mental health assessed before being released again, she said.
The order, which is pursued through the Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act, offers a range of services to stabilize a child’s behavior, and lasts up to 30 days.
But the mother said that’s not enough to help her son and stronger intervention is needed. She said that includes longer stays in a secure therapeutic facility and an improved release plan to help him transition.
“That help should be given to him whether he’s willing to take it or not,” she said.
Similar frustration was expressed last year by the grandfather of a 15-year-old boy who stabbed a bus driver.
After the grandfather spoke out, another family came forward to talk about their own struggle to get long-term help for their a 16 year old who is involved with guns, gangs and drugs.
Last year, the province launched a plan to improve the child intervention system. In a previous statement, the government said the plan involves improving early interventions so situations don’t escalate and increasing placement options and access to specialized and out-of-home services.