Questioning foster care 'should not be allowed,' says association head
The head of the Alberta Foster Parent Association says media questioning of foster care should not be allowed, following a damning media investigation that found the number of children who have died in government care is nearly triple the official numbers.
In a news conference Wednesday in Edmonton, the Alberta government spoke out in support of the foster care system. A joint Edmonton Journal/Calgary Herald investigation released Monday concluded a total of 145 children died in government care since 1999 but that the province only reported 56 of those deaths.
Speaking as part of a panel of foster care supporters, Katherine Jones said media reports questioning foster care "should not be allowed."
Government officials at the conference attacked the premise of the investigation, saying there are limits to what the public can know about foster care.
"The public doesn't have the right to know everything," said Alberta's Human Services Minister Dave Hancock, adding that parents of children in foster care are not to speak publicly unless a judge gives permission.
