Ministry of Human Development Strengthens Foster Care Vetting After Tragic Death of 4-Year-Old Ayana Bennett

The Ministry of Human Development is bolstering its foster care vetting system after a child was beaten to death by her foster parents. The tragic death of 4-year-old Ayana Bennett in Spanish Lookout had rocked the nation and led to public outrage. While charges have been levied on the foster parents, the ministry says there is not much of an update on the case. However, Minister of Human Development Dolores Garcia says that changes have been made to ensure there is no repeat of the tragic incident. 

Dolores Balderamos Garcia, Minister of Human Development, Families and Indigenous People’s Affairs: “You know it’s hard to talk about. But I will tell you that the police have custody of the case now. The DPP made her decision as to the charges and basically we don’t have much more of an update than that. I can tell you though that we have been within my ministry reviewing our protocols as to how we place children in foster care and we have taken into account that many times for foster care it’s good to have what you call an ethnically appropriate or friendly placement of children. Mind you that is not taking away from the entire Mennonite Community because they have been very good bout reaching out. Just to repeat there really were no red flags when those children were placed in emergency placement back in September and so it’s still extremely difficult to talk about. I think as a country we’re still grieving such a loss of a such a precious innocent life you know ? Let justice take it’s course but at the same time I want to give the public the assurance that our ministry will continue to do our best for the protection of children. You know we may have over four to five hundred children in placements all over the country. We have government facilities, we have private facilities that we work with. We have residential care facilities once you have more than eight children in your care and you’re not the biological family you must apply for a license to operate a residential care facility. And so we have many facilities throughout the country and there is an inspector of social service institutions and that person goes out and makes sure.”

Bennett’s foster parents, Marvin and Lena Plett, were charged with manslaughter in November.