No documented suicide assessment for Cree teen who died in B.C. group home, review finds
A review done after the death of a Cree teen at his Abbotsford, B.C. group home found a failure to document suicide assessments and major delays in writing a treatment plan, a coroner's inquest heard Wednesday.
The review by Child Welfare and Aboriginal Services was done after 17-year-old Traevon Desjarlais took his own life in September 2020. His body was found in the closet of his room four days after he was reported missing.
The review found that while the social worker for the teen was addressing Desjarlais' concerning behaviors around headbanging, and had outlined steps to ensure his safety – there were other missing pieces in his treatment plan.
“We did not find any documentation in the records that outlined what the suicide assessment was, or what the risk plan was, or who that was provided to,” said Tricia Meyers, acting executive director in the provincial office of the Child Welfare and Aboriginal Services branch. Despite this, she said the lack of documentation didn’t necessarily mean the assessment wasn’t done.
Meyers also said that an evidence-based treatment plan provided for the youth was not documented for four months after services began.
She also said there have been several other reviews done involving other children where important documentation also was not found.
Changes have been made since Desjarlais' death, according to Meyers, including ongoing training for workers and the introduction of a more standardized form for suicide risk assessment which is to be rolled out in the coming weeks.
The inquest also heard from James Wale, B.C.’s deputy director of child welfare for the Ministry of Children and Family Development.
He said a new short-term stabilization program is being piloted in B.C. next year.
“Short-term stabilization will be designed for youth with complex needs where the staff have clinical training, where there’s wrap-around support and where there’s a focus on working with the parents or relatives,” he explained.
Youth would stay in these homes for three to nine months, but the goal is to return youth to where they were before if at all possible, he said.
He also said his department is working on a new tier of family care homes for youth with higher needs. These homes will provide extra support and service and it's hoped they may allow a young person to stay in a family care home.
Wale said 70 per of children in care in B.C. are Indigenous.
“It’s a horrible tragedy that happened to Traevon,” he said, adding that his takeaway from the inquest is the importance of a child’s need to belong to their family, community and culture.
“That’s what I heard from the testimony, that Traevon felt alone, despite people being there for him,” Wale said.
He was the last witness at the inquest.
The coroner’s jury can not make findings of fault, but can make recommendations aimed at preventing similar deaths in the future.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.