Ombudsman Report • André Marin, Ombudsman of Ontario • October 2014 Director, Special Ombudsman Response Team Gareth Jones
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Careless Child AboutCare Investigation into how the Ministry of Education responds to complaints and concerns relating to unlicensed daycare providers Ombudsman Report • André Marin, Ombudsman of Ontario • October 2014 DIRECTOR, SPECIAL OMBUDSMAN RESPONSE TEAM Gareth Jones LEAD INVESTIGATOR Elizabeth Weston INVESTIGATORS Grace Chau Rosie Dear Domonie Pierre Colin McCann EARLY RESOLUTION OFFICER Jennifer Olijnyk SENIOR COUNSEL Laura Pettigrew MAIN COVER PHOTO: The backyard of the unlicensed home daycare in Vaughan where 2-year-old Eva Ravikovich died on July 8, 2013. Photo by Alex Consiglio, Toronto Star. Find us on Facebook: facebook.com/OntarioOmbudsman Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/Ont_Ombudsman Watch us on YouTube: youtube.com/OntarioOmbudsman Ombudsman Report Investigation into how the Ministry of Education responds to complaints and concerns relating to unlicensed daycare providers “Careless About Child Care” October 2014 Table of Contents Executive Summary .......................................................................................................... 6 Investigative Process ......................................................................................................... 9 Ontario’s Child Care System – The Big Picture .......................................................... 10 Eva’s Last Day – Daycare Tragedy ............................................................................... 12 The Ministry Drops the Ball … Repeatedly .......................................................................... 14 First Complaint: May 2012 – No Action ............................................................................... 14 Second Complaint: May 2012 – No Action ........................................................................... 14 Third Complaint: October 2012 – No Action ........................................................................ 15 Fourth Complaint: November 2012 – First Inspection .......................................................... 15 Fifth Complaint: December 2012 – No Action ..................................................................... 16 Too Little, Too Late ................................................................................................................. 16 Tragedy Strikes Again … and Again ..................................................................................... 17 The Day Nurseries Act – Overview and Issues ............................................................. 18 The Number Five ...................................................................................................................... 21 Comparison Chart of Home Daycare Child Maximums ....................................................... 22 Day Nurseries Act – The Renovation Saga ............................................................................. 23 Legislative Inertia – Renovation Delayed ............................................................................. 23 Under New Management – Renovation Begins: 2010-2012 ................................................. 24 On Target: January to July 2013 ............................................................................................ 25 Grander Plans: Post-July 2013 ............................................................................................... 25 Ahead of Schedule: December 2013 ..................................................................................... 26 Renovation Stalled, Stopped and Revived ............................................................................. 28 Additional Initiatives ............................................................................................................. 29 A Poorly Planned Move ........................................................................................................... 30 Inconsistencies Abound ......................................................................................................... 30 Inadequate Resources ............................................................................................................ 32 Lessons Learned .................................................................................................................... 33 Handling Complaints – Structural Flaws ..................................................................... 34 It Starts With Intake ................................................................................................................ 34 Inspection Procedures .............................................................................................................. 35 Inaccurate and Incomplete Informal Care Logs ................................................................... 38 Waiting for the Whistle to Blow ............................................................................................. 39 Failure to Identify Past Complaints – History Repeats Itself .............................................. 44 When a Complaint is Not Enough .......................................................................................... 45 Systems Failure ......................................................................................................................... 46 Inspection Issues ............................................................................................................. 50 Better Late than Never ............................................................................................................ 50 Compliance Confusion ............................................................................................................. 52 Form Over Substance .............................................................................................................. 53 Failure to Co-ordinate with Other Agencies ......................................................................... 56 Lack of Inspection Rigour ....................................................................................................... 58 Knock, Knock – Who’s There? ............................................................................................. 59 Inspections By Phone ............................................................................................................. 60 Heads Up! .............................................................................................................................. 61 Sorry, Wrong Number ........................................................................................................... 62 Too Kind, Too Gentle .............................................................................................................. 63 No Sense of Urgency ............................................................................................................. 64 Second, Third and Fourth Chances ........................................................................................ 66 Losing Momentum ................................................................................................................. 67 Revolving Door – Old Complaints are New Again ............................................................... 68 Wiping the Slate Clean .......................................................................................................... 69 Inadequate Inspections ............................................................................................................ 71 Failure to Collect Evidence - I Don’t Mean to Intrude .......................................................... 72 Blinkered Views .................................................................................................................... 75 Putting Parents Back into the Picture .................................................................................... 77 Facing the Parents .................................................................................................................. 78 Failure to Use Staff Effectively ............................................................................................. 80 Late and Inaccurate Inspection Records ................................................................................ 82 Kid Gloves – Soft and Unfocused Enforcement ........................................................... 84 Spotlight on Surveillance and Search Warrants ................................................................... 84 Delayed and Toothless Warnings ........................................................................................... 86 Not Bold Enough ...................................................................................................................... 87 Restrained Use of Injunctions ................................................................................................. 89 Prosecution – the Final, but Rarely Used Recourse .............................................................. 91 Truth But No Consequences: Forgetting History ................................................................. 94 Getting the Act Together ................................................................................................ 96 The ‘Common Parentage’ Conundrum ................................................................................. 96 A Day Nursery By Another Name .......................................................................................... 98 I Call Camp! ..........................................................................................................................