Recently, I was at a seminar on the overuse of pharmaceutical drugs on growing children. One of the parents was a foster parent. Children’s Aid had put the foster child on different drugs to handle supposed over activity on the child’s part. The foster mom called in the Child Advocate. According to Wikipedia: “Refers to a range of individuals, professionals and advocacy organizations who promote the optimal development of children. An individual or organization engaging in advocacy typically seeks to protect children’s rights which may be abridged or abused in a number of areas.”
(ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_advocacy)
What is a Child Advocate?
In Canada, we have the Provincial Advocate:
http://provincialadvocate.on.ca/main/en/about/aboutus.cfm
The outcome:
The child refused the medication after being informed as to the side effects and long term effects they could cause. The foster mom informed us that the child was doing well and she had modified his diet and spent time working with him on his school work.