The province released results of their investigation into the death of an infant, who was in foster care when she died.
The Office of the Child and Youth Advocate released their investigative review into the death of Dawn, a six-week-old baby girl, in 2013.
The Advocate had one recommendation stemming from this case, officials said Tuesday – that Manmeet Bhullar, Minister of Human Services should put a clear policy in place for foster parents, providing direction against bed-sharing with infants in their care.
“We’re not saying that to parents, we’re not saying that even to relatives or the kinship care, but we’re saying there needs to be a policy for fostering in this province,” Child and Youth Advocate Del Graff said Tuesday.
According to the report, on that night in 2013, the foster parents of baby Dawn had put the baby to bed for the night, but at some point, the foster mother brought the infant into bed with her.
At about 5 a.m., the parents discovered she was not breathing – they started CPR and paramedics were called, but the baby was pronounced dead in hospital.
Health Canada warns against sharing a bed with an infant, saying the baby could suffocate when trapped in bedding, or if an adult rolls over.
A statement from Minister Bhullar, released to CTV News Tuesday, said the death of any child is a tragedy, and training is provided through a program called Safe Babies to caregivers of infants:
“While we recognize co-sleeping can be an important cultural aspect, each child in care must have a separate bed or crib as a permanent sleeping arrangement. We do not recommend bed-sharing due to a number of associated risks including falls or suffocations.
To ensure children are raised in safe and caring environments, we will clarify our policy on co-sleeping and the Safe Babies course is now a requirement for all foster parents that care for children under the age of three.”
The full report can be found online.
With files from Serena Mah
