Posted: Apr 14, 2021 6:00 AM AT | Last Updated: April 14
As a child in care, the teen cannot be identified and neither can any members of his family. His mother's hands are pictured above. (Shaina Luck/CBC)
The parents of a Nova Scotia teen with autism who has complex care needs want to know why some families are being told by the Department of Community Services to give up custody of their children in order to get them into group homes.
The option is used in only a handful of cases, but can present a devastating choice for those families.
"That was the shock of our lives that we would have to potentially give up our parental rights to give our child the care that they needed," the teen's mother said. "We adamantly, adamantly want to participate in his care."