Grain of Salt

September 16, 2008 permalink

Last week a CAS client who prefers to remain nameless addressed the judge in his own case, while running a recorder in his pocket. After hearing the statement below, the judge gave him what he asked for and added:

There is no need to address the lies in the papers. "I take what the CAS state with a grain of salt" and you do not need to address the untruths.

In the transcript below the father changed all names to phrases such as My Daughter.

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Your Honor: I have prepared a short statement which I would like to have read into the record

After having a few situations with my daughter and finding that I could no longer control some of her actions as well as My Daughter putting herself at risk with some of those actions I approached the Children's Aid in Oshawa for help.

I was told they had programs to help deal with this as well as councilors that could help in turning my daughter around. That was in August 2005. For the first month or so My Daughter seemed to be following most of the rules but after that she was AWOL more than she was in the program. She never attended school regularly and this was not checked on very much. I even had a call from the education Minister asking me why My Daughter was not in school I was also informed that I was responsible for assuring she was in school. I told the Education Minister that My Daughter was in fact in the care of the CAS.

My Daughter has now been arrested for theft, drugs, car theft and some things that I'm sure I have not even been told about multiple times. I have watched this take place and it has broken my heart but THAT'S WHAT PARENTS DO!

More than anything else the lack of information from the CAS has been one of the biggest disappointments. It is going to take a court order for these people to keep a parent informed. I have asked and wrote so many times to see the school reports but it took them a years to dribble a little information my way.

As you can see I have 5 full binders of communications but most of them are me asking for updated information. The only way I could describe it would be pathetic communications, one sided me asking and nothing being done. My wife was so upset with the hearsay entered into court documents that she stopped coming to court. I understand her frustration and was surprised at the amount of incorrect information entered. In the last court papers it states that My Daughter as well as my brother has arranged visits. This is NOT TRUE and I would ask that I be allowed the time to enter a couple affidavit's to clear up the untruths.

The CAS has entered information in the courts documents that is hearsay and I'm surprised they didn't research any facts before she did this. What we are left with is what is best for My Daughter and having her as a crown ward in my opinion is not the answer.

My Daughter has a year to get her life in order and she needs a program to assist her in doing this. If a program like this could be offered than Crown Ward might actually do some good however with more than 3 years passed and not one hour of counseling to date I can't help but wonder if she is going to spend the next year AWOL.

In short I want what's best for My Daughter and contrary to what the Children's Aid is trying to write in the court documents we really miss her and wish her all the best in the future. There has been no contact with ANY family in some time and this has not been healthily for My Daughter in my opinion.

More effort should be made to see that this is corrected before it's too late. I have chatted to My Daughter a couple of times but she has been very distant and has tried to become between myself and my wife. I have two other kids at home at this time and it's My Daughter's call if she wants to act this way.

In the same way the CAS seems to have not been able to get My Daughter to school I have not been able to turn My Daughter's thought process around on this to date. Not to say it will not change in the future. So your honor I guess I'm asking for three things.

1. Do what's best for My Daughter and assure it is followed through.
2. Be allowed to address the facts that are not true in this recent court papers.
3. Better updates good or bad and ordered by the court

Thank you your honor for listening to my concerns.

Source: email from father