'She's scared': Sask. foster mom begs for stability for 7-year-old girl bounced between homes

A Saskatoon foster mom is questioning why a little girl was removed from her care and put in a group home.

The woman, who CTV News will refer to as Shannon in order to protect the child's identity, says she first met the 7-year-old girl while offering temporary care for the girl while she was placed with another foster parent in North Battleford. Shannon says they hit it off right away.

When the North Battleford caregiver later called Shannon in a panic saying they were “re-homing” the girl, Shannon raised her hand for the role. She was told the girl had a violent incident at school and had assaulted a teacher.

She reached out to the office of Saskatchewan's Advocate for Children and Youth and they were able to have the girl placed with Shannon after an emergency assessment, she says.

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"They kept saying, ‘it’s temporary, it’s temporary,’ but we kept saying, there’s no reason for it to be temporary,” Shannon said.

“She’s already been bounced around from A, B, C, D and F. Leave her here.”

Shannon has a foster son around the same age and she says the two kids got along right away.

When she got the call less than a month later saying they were going to move the girl to Eagles Nest Youth Ranch, a group home, she tried to get the children’s advocate involved again, but she says they told her there was nothing they could do.

“I had to tell her that she’s not going to be allowed to stay with me. It was a really hard night,” Shannon said.

“And then when the workers showed up, she ran and hid underneath the bed," she said.

"I had to talk her out from underneath the bed and all I could think of was all those children that were taken in the 60s (scoop) and them being scared, and she was scared, and of course she’s scared, she doesn’t know what’s going on.”

Shannon coaxed her out from under the bed. She says the girl put on a brave face and said “OK, I’m going.”

“And what she said to me is, 'It’s OK, I’m used to it.' She’s seven years old. She shouldn’t be used to it. She’s been in care for four years. Why is she being bounced around? We don’t do that to dogs. We do not rehome dogs seven, eight times.”

On top of the trauma of adjusting to ever-shifting living conditions, Shannon is concerned about the amount of time the girl has been pulled out of school. She has a right to an education, and to visits with her biological family, if possible, she says.

The Ministry of Social Services said it couldn’t confirm involvement with any child or family to speak to details of the case, due to provisions of the Child and Family Services Act, but sent a statement on behalf of Kari Paton, executive director of service delivery for child and family programs.

“We want children to have a voice in decisions about their care and for them and their care providers to be well-supported in their placements. Each child and their family we work with has a unique set of circumstances, and we tailor the work we do to their needs,” the emailed statement said.

“In a situation where a child, a member of their care team or their family has concerns about any aspect of their case plan, including any decisions around placement, we encourage them to connect with the Ministry of Social Services so we can work with them towards a successful resolution.”

Shannon says she’s pulled all the levers available to her. She felt going to the media was her only option left, and she’s worried there will be consequences that could impact her other foster son.

Shannon has been a foster parent for decades. After giving birth to a developmentally disabled son in the 1970s, she said she felt called to offer her care and love to others, and she was already home full-time supporting him.

She has supported children who were violent and non-verbal in the past, and wonders why she’s not seen as a fit caregiver for this girl.

“And they’re saying, oh, I don’t have the skills. But my boy hit me 40 times a day when I got him,” Shannon said.

She worked with him, through therapy, and a lot of love, and she said “he’s an amazing little boy now.”

Shannon says she never witnessed any anger or violence with the girl.

“She’s just a normal seven-year-old child that’s had tonnes of trauma.”

Deb Davies, the executive director of the Saskatchewan Foster Families Association says foster parents aren’t always aware of all the circumstances around why decisions are made about a child’s care.

“At the end of the day, the minister is the parent for that child and has to ensure that the best choices are made,” said Deb Davies.

If Shannon wants to get the ministry at the table for a discussion, Davies says her organization can help.

“Foster families have that opportunity to reach out to our foster family advocate, to sit down at the table with the Ministry of Social Services to have their voice heard,” she said.