Pubdate: Mon, 28 Nov 2016 Source: Chatham Daily News, The (CN ON) Copyright: 2016 Chatham Daily News Contact: http://www.chathamdailynews.ca/letters Website: http://www.chathamdailynews.ca Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1627 Author: Vicki Gough Page: A1 REVIEW UPHOLDS COURT DECISIONS Chatham-Kent Children's Services working with independent review of case files When the Ontario government launched an independent commission earlier this year to assist families caught between flawed laboratory drug testing and the province's 46 children's aid societies, Chatham-Kent Children's Services (CKCS) opened its case files for more scrutiny. Between 2005 and 2015, CKCS used the Motherisk Laboratory operating out of SickKids Hospital in Toronto 76 times to conduct hair strand tests in cases of suspected drug use. "Chatham-Kent Children's Services had four cases that qualified as "high priority" for a review by the Motherisk Commission and those cases have been reviewed," Stephen Doig, CKCS's executive director, told The Chatham Daily News Thursday. Doig confirmed the review did not alter earlier judicial decisions in those four cases. "The result of that review by the Commission found that the drug/ alcohol testing was not a determining aspect of the evidence presented to the courts in a child protection proceeding," Doig said. In April 2015, children's welfare agencies were told to stop ordering the tests after the Motherisk lab was identified in a criminal trial for using faulty methodology. Children's aid societies were using the test results to support protection applications and adoptions for children deemed at high risk. In an earlier interview, Doig said CKCS began reducing its reliance on drug testing in 2014. "We're really looking more at working with the families, if there is an addiction issue, to really look at the addiction rather than proving that the addiction is there," Doig said. When the commission was announced in January 2016, it was given a two-year mandate. Families that qualify for assistance were to be notified in writing that the province had appointed a commissioner with the mandate to review their cases. "It is my hope that my work with the commission will assist those affected to understand what has occurred and to move forward in whatever way they feel is appropriate to their circumstances," Commissioner Judith Beaman stated in a news release at the time of the announcement. Doig said the commission "provides counselling and legal advice to any family that wishes to follow up on that (offer)." Of the four case files reviewed at CKCS, Doig said they were "relatively recent files" and involved one child per family. "Like all the Children's Aid Society's in Ontario, CKCS had some cases where the Motherisk Labs were utilized as the gold standard for testing of hair samples with respect to drug/alcohol misuse," Doig said. For that reason the lab was the one most agencies relied on for that testing, he added. Anyone who believes they may have been impacted by a Motherisk test can call 1-855-235-8932 for more information. - --- MAP posted-by: Matt