Great Victory for Children in Care.

Since the hunger strike was over I apologize that I have not had the
time and wherewithal to update my site with the victory of the strike

I have now found my sea legs and I am ready to do battle again.

I want to start by thanking all of you wonderful people who so lovingly
and generously gave of your time to support this campaign to protect
children in care from the practice of restraint as punishment.

The victory lies first and foremost in the complete stop of restraints
in the group homes and section 19 school involved in my complaint about
restraint. And in the fabulous press coverage on restraints that put a
giant magnifying glass on the topic. And finally in the Ministry of
Community and Social Services decision to scrap the course on Behaviour
Management Intervention (BMI) put together by the Roberts Smart Centre,
which contained a small child restraint in of children under 64 lbs.

The Coroner in the William Edgar inquest found that children in group
homes were at risk of serious injury and death because of the improper
use of restraint. They recommended a course be developed to teach group
homes non violent intervention as alternative to the restraint.

This BMI course was suppose the one the Ministry approved as the new
course to teach alternatives to restraints to group homes.

I took this course developed by the Roberts Smart Centre in January
2002 just after the Ministry approved it as the only course they accept
and I was appalled by its lack of substance and focus. I was also as
outraged that they taught restraints in less than three hours including a
restraint to be used on a child under 64 pounds.

My concern was that a child under 64 pounds could not present imenant
danger to himself or others that could not be dealt with by means less
dangerous than a restraint.

The Ministry gave me a letter hand delivered at the hunger strike on
_________stating that they were scrapping the Robert Smart BMI course and
seeking another recommended by a committee they once convened to
research the best course available.

I was advised by a worker for the Group Home Licensing Department Mary
Jelinick a few weeks ago that they have now picked the new course but
they have not yet announced
what course they have chosen.

The Inquest for Stephanie Jobin starts Monday November 18,  2002. 
Stephanie was the 13-year-old girl killed in one of a 1000 restraints
performed on her in 6 months at her group home. There will be publicity
again on this gross travesty of justice for these vulnerable children
around this inquest.

I am hoping with all my heart that an end to this barbaric practice of
holding children to the floor face down while pinning their hands and
feet to the floor will stop and that
this practice will be replaced by fair reasonable treatment of these
high needs children in care.

I am not sorry I took such a dramatic stance on this issue because
these beautiful children are worth it all and more. And I have been blessed
a thousand times over by my higher power for my intervention on their
behalf. I have met some of the most loving, generous people imaginable
during this action many of whom have become my close friends for life. I
lost 46 pounds during the hunger strike and since then have lost
another 40 pounds. My health has never been better and my heart has never
been stronger.

I know the war is not over yet but we won this battle.



Protest, resist and surpass, Jane Scharf