The Representative for Children and Youth (RCY) investigation report “Don’t Look Away – How one boy’s story has the power to shift a system of care for children and youth” was released on July 16, 2024. It “includes findings from RCY’s investigation into the death of [an 11-year old child] ‘Colby’ who was tortured and killed in the Fraser Valley in 2021 at the hands of extended family caregivers while in the care of the provincial government” (RCY news release). To read the full report and watch the report presentation, visit the website of the Representative for Children and Youth BC at: https://rcybc.ca/hfaq/dont-look-away/
The systems that are presently in place for children and youth “in care” are failing them; collective and immediate action is needed to ensure that their rights are protected, their voices are heard, and systemic changes are made.
Dr. Jennifer Charlesworth, Representative for Children and Youth noted in her message at the beginning of the report
My hope is that the following sacred story investigation and systemic review will serve as a catalyst for change in this direction – that through Colby’s story, readers and decision-makers will see how the systems of care failed this young boy and his family and, through the systemic review, what changes could help ensure that children are able to grow up feeling safe, nurtured and ‘belonged’ to family, community, culture and a positive sense of their own identity and future.