A Winnipeg mother says she was investigated by Child and Family Services simply for letting her children play in her backyard.
Jacqui Kendrick, a stay-at-home mom, says a CFS worker showed up unexpectedly at her door in early April. The worker told her they were doing a 鈥渨ell-being check鈥� after receiving a complaint about her children being left unsupervised.
Kendrick has three children ages two, five and 10, who love to play in the family鈥檚 backyard after school. The backyard is fully fenced in, with a wood fence covering three sides, and a portion of the front covered by a chain link fence and gate.
Kendrick told CTV Winnipeg she's always either with her kids or looking in on them from her living room windows. She says she feels 鈥渃ompletely comfortable鈥� letting her kids play outside.
鈥淲e鈥檝e taught both the (older) kids so far that you look after each other. That鈥檚 kind of the point. The older ones should be looking after the younger ones,鈥� Kendrick said.
鈥淢y 10-year-old is very responsible. We鈥檝e taught the older ones already the whole stranger danger, and they know what to do. When my five-year-old鈥檚 out there, she knows she鈥檚 not supposed to go up to the gates.鈥�
Still, the worker with the CFS -- the the provincial body that apprehends abused and neglected children -- insisted she was obligated to investigate and ask a few more questions.
鈥淲e had to go through a whole interview asking so many questions -- asking me about if we鈥檝e ever dealt with CFS before, what my childhood was like, how I punish my children, whether we drink or do drugs... She had to look to see where my kids slept. She had to see if we had enough food in the house,鈥� Kendrick said.
鈥淭he whole time I鈥檓 sitting there, pretty much in tears, because I couldn't understand what was going on."
She said the worker seemed to feel that everything was fine and she鈥檚 heard nothing further from them. Still, Kendrick doesn鈥檛 understand why whoever called authorities didn鈥檛 speak to her directly.
鈥淚f you really had a concern, you could have knocked on my door,鈥� she said.
Winnipeg psychologist Dr. Toby Rutner agrees. He says in the age of the internet, 鈥渆veryone feels entitled to give an opinion鈥� on what their neighbours are doing, rationalizing their behaviour as simple concern for the welfare of children.
He also said he believes that kids should be as independent as their abilities allow.
Manitoba's Child and Family Services Act states a child 12 or older can be left home alone unsupervised; it doesn't mention anything about children unsupervised in a backyard.
In a statement, a spokesperson said the CFS is obligated to follow up on all reports of children at risk. No one would speak specifically about this case..
Now, Kendrick worries that her name is on CFS files, and that further complaints could lead to her kids being taken away.
鈥淎nyone else ever wants to complain for any reason, there's always going to be a file there,鈥� she said.
With a report from CTV Winnipeg鈥檚 Cheryl Holmes
