Lack of service coordination, information sharing key causes in death

An investigative review released by the Office of the Child and Youth Advocate in early May indicated that lack of information sharing led to the death of a 14-day old Aboriginal baby, who, at the time, was receiving services from the provincial government. “The circumstances around this infant’s death are both tragic and troubling,” said Advocate Del Graff, in a news release. “What is particularly disconcerting is that despite an abundance of good information, the system appeared unable to come together for the benefit of this child.” Graff said more information from different sources were required in order for the baby to be properly cared for. Recommendations about improvements in service co-ordination and information sharing are a significant theme in this report. In addition, the report recommends improvements related to risk assessments for newborns, ensuring balance in delivering child intervention services, meeting the needs of infants exposed to drugs in utero, and enhancing parenting assessments.  “Baby Annie,” as the child was called in the report, was found unresponsive and not breathing by her mother. The baby was transported to a hospital and pronounced dead. The cause of death was “undetermined.” Annie’s four older siblings were the subjects of Temporary Guardianship Orders and were in care at the time of her birth. Annie’s family was involved with Alberta’s child intervention system. Annie was in her parents’ care when she passed away.