Christa Gregory believes she was let down by the Island’s Child Protection Services (CPS).
Although the 38-year-old mother said CPS has provided assistance for her three children, she says she received insufficient support when she was dealing with severe mental health issues, including post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression.
“It was all about the kids. They had their counsellors. They had their dental, they had their doctor's appointments. Anytime they needed a cab to appointments, they had it just like that. But, when it came to me, nothing," Gregory said.
Gregory has had a lengthy period of contact with CPS. She began seeing a case worker in the fall of 2016. After she moved into her own apartment, things seemed stable. She had a job and her kids were going to school. Although Gregory had struggled with addiction in the past, she says she stayed clean for two years.
But six months ago, her PTSD started to get worse. Increasingly, she would wake up at night because of “night terrors,” which stemmed from physical and sexual abuse she experienced as a child.
“I went from being a strong, loving parent to being unable to get up and clean my house,” Gregory said.
When Gregory asked her case worker about speaking to a counsellor, she was told none were available.
"She told me she wasn't a mental health organization. Those were her words. 'Well, we're not a mental health organization,'" Gregory said.
On Nov. 20, Gregory attempted suicide. She consumed more than 80 Xanax pills, medication used to treat anxiety and panic disorders.
Days later, Gregory said she was forced to leave her home by CPS. She checked herself into the Provincial Addictions Treatment Facility in Mount Herbert and is currently enrolled in a 21-day treatment program. Her two eldest children are staying with their father – Gregory and he are separated. Her youngest is staying with her boyfriend’s parents.
Gregory said her case worker did not refer her to programs that could have stopped her spiral into depression, such as mental health walk-in clinics or support programs for people who have survived sexual abuse.
She has submitted a complaint to Child Protection Services.
The Department of Family and Human Services would not comment specifically on Gregory’s case.
But, in a phone interview, Wendy McCourt, director of child protection, said it is a regular practice for case workers to try to work with parents of children who may be in distress. This often includes providing referrals for mental health services in the community.
"We always want to work with the family to keep the child in the home,” McCourt said.
"If a parent says I need this help, then we would help them to find that help.”
McCourt said many case workers receive some training in mental health issues as part of their social work degree. But, she also said specific training on mental health issues is not mandated for case workers.
"We have, I would say, a limited knowledge. We rely on our mental health partners to be able to do that piece of the work if someone needs mental health support,” she said.
In 2016, an internal review of child protection services found that the Child Protection Act was being applied too narrowly.
“As a result of a narrow interpretation and/or application of the act, there is a reactionary approach to child protection rather than a preventative approach focused on fostering the wellbeing of children and families,” the review noted.
McCourt said the department is in the midst of implementing the recommendations of this review.
