Virginia Collins, a caring mother to her son Jacob, sought assistance from the child protection system when Jacob faced mental health challenges and risky behaviors. However, instead of support, she was pressured to sign documents for her son’s placement in out-of-province care, as revealed by the family’s lawyer, Will Hiscock, in a recent public inquiry.
The inquiry focused on the experiences of Innu individuals within the child protection system and examined the circumstances surrounding Jacob’s life and death. Investigators discovered a severe lack of services to keep Jacob at home with his family, leading to his placement in a foster home in southern Ontario.
Jacob was placed in Broken Arrow Residential Treatment Services (BARTS), a facility that was not Indigenous-specific as its name implied. The investigation revealed that Broken Arrow was a foster home where children were discouraged from using their native languages. Despite positive updates provided to Virginia Collins about Jacob’s progress at Broken Arrow, the reality was different. Jacob attempted to escape multiple times and was closely monitored, leading to feelings of confinement.
Living away from his family and culture in Ontario left Jacob feeling disconnected and out of place. Despite his struggles, with minimal support from the child protection system, his mother’s efforts helped him graduate high school in 2015. Unfortunately, his mental health issues persisted, eventually leading him into the criminal justice system, where he tragically died by suicide in February 2020 while in pre-trial custody.
Virginia Collins continues to grapple with the loss of her son and the systemic failures that marked his adolescence. The public inquiry aims to provide recommendations for improving the child protection system to better serve Innu families, with the final report expected by October.
For those in need of help, resources such as the Suicide Crisis Helpline and Kids Help Phone are available, offering immediate support and counseling services.