Investigations
Investigations
When Things Go Wrong, We Ask Why
RCY has a unique vantage point to be able to see individual harms experienced by one child in the context of many others. RCY investigations examine serious harms in the broader system context, using access to records, having interviews with people involved and using evidence to understand what went wrong and why.
Why Investigations Matter
As an oversight office, independent of government, our investigations are able to delve deeply into a thorough analysis of what happened when a young person is critically injured or dies while receiving government services. Our investigations shine an important light on how and where services for young people need to be strengthened.
In our most recent investigation, we found more than
40
missed opportunities to provide support and safety that could have prevented a young boy from losing his life too soon.
- RCY Report, "Don't Look Away"
How We Do This Work
Our investigators are highly trained in how to access, gather and analyze information to determine what happened for a child and their family that led up to and followed the critical injury or death of a young person. Through reviews of documents and records, interviews with family members and people who knew the young person or were responsible for their care, and consultations investigators piece together a story and identify practice and service missteps and missed opportunities in a child’s lifetime. Through this work – that takes months and sometimes years – RCY is able to determine ways to improve services and systems and make informed recommendations to improve the experiences and outcomes of young people in BC.
Spotlight: Skye’s Legacy
Skye was 17 when she died on her birthday, after spending nearly 12 years in government care. During that time, she was moved 15 times, attended eight schools and had 18 social workers. Skye was prevented from maintaining a relationship with her mother and was never supported to build meaningful connections to her Dene culture, community or home territory, despite asking for this.
Our investigation found that the Ministry of Children and Family Development’s focus on adoption, including three failed adoption plans, overshadowed Skye’s need for belonging, identity and stability. Her experiences reflect the systemic disconnection faced by too many First Nations, Métis, Inuit and urban Indigenous children in care.
We made recommendations to improve cultural and family supports, revise care planning standards to centre belonging and ensure all staff meaningfully engage with this report. These changes aim to strengthen practice for Indigenous children and youth and help prevent future harms like those Skye endured. Read the report.
The Difference We Make
RCY investigations result in public reports with clear, actionable recommendations that drive both immediate and long-term improvements to systems of care. These recommendations have led to strengthened policy and practice, greater attention to the voices of young people in decisions that affect them, and fairer, more equitable services.
“Our investigations highlight where we can and must do better.”
– RCY Investigator
