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Two years ago, the Representative for Children and Youth wrote to the government to raise serious safety concerns about families applying for the Children in the Home of a Relative (CIHR) program.

At that time, she identified these four cases as the reason for her audit. In each case, outlined below, the children remained in homes where there were known risks.

• A woman, already caring for a 12-year-old grandchild, was turned down for assistance to care for a two-year-old grandchild. The grandmother's spouse, with a history of drunk driving, had recently been arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol while the toddler was in the car. The applicant's adult son, also living in the home, was found to have physically abused the 12-year-old.

• A 10-year-old girl's grandmother was denied CIHR assistance because of concerns about the home. It appears that the child remained in the home, in the same building as her stepfather, who was being investigated for sexually abusing the child.

• The grandmother of a four-year-old girl was denied assistance based on her extensive criminal history, as well as that of her son who also lived in the home. During an instance of domestic assault in the home, an unregistered and unsecured shotgun was apparently seized from the child's bedroom.

• The aunt of a 15-year-old girl was denied assistance under the program. The aunt's spouse, living in the home, had several past charges including sexual assault and sexual interference with a person under 14. There had also been prior contact with the applicant with respect to instances of physical abuse.

The government investigated all four cases and concluded the children were safe.

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