The NDP government pledged Monday to get to the bottom of claims an abused teen’s local Child and Family Services agency knowingly returned him to an “incestuous” home environment and that the agency refused to co-operate after a Winnipeg-based social worker went to bat for him.

The alarming case — as detailed in Monday’s Winnipeg Sun — became a topic during Question Period, and left Opposition Tories charging the NDP is out of touch with what’s going on within the provincial child-welfare system.

Last Friday, a now 18-year-old man from a remote community was sentenced for sexually molesting his younger siblings.

Court was told it was the young offender — also a familial sexual and physical abuse survivor — who ultimately came forward to RCMP to disclose his crimes in a “cry for help.”

He told a probation officer he lived in an “incestuous” family and that “CFS was aware of sexual abuse and yet continued to do nothing.”

“He advised they were aware of the sexual abuse that was continuing in (his) residence and continued to place him back with his parents,” the pre-sentencing report stated.

His city-based social worker told Judge Wanda Garreck the teen’s local agency was un-cooperative and reluctant to address the case — to the point of refusing to speak to her or her office about it.

CFS and Youth Criminal Justice legislation prohibits publishing the specific community as it would tend to identify the offender and the victims.

“These are very serious allegations,” Family Services and Labour Minister Jennifer Howard said after being asked about the Sun’s report in Question Period Monday. “That’s extremely serious. We are following up with the authority in charge to find out exactly what happened in this situation ... it is very clear in the law that everybody who is aware of a situation like this has a responsibility to report it.”

It was Opposition Family Services critic Leanne Rowat who raised the issue. In a interview following Question Period, Rowat questioned whether the NDP is in the loop with what’s happening in CFS.

Rowat said Howard’s concession she only learned of the case Sunday evening was concerning.

“I need to know why she only found out about it (then). A minister should know,” Rowat said. “You’ve got 10,000 kids in care and you don’t know what’s happening.”

Manitoba Liberal Leader Jon Gerrard credited the Winnipeg CFS worker who took on the teen’s case after realizing something wasn’t right.

He said the case was emblematic of the fact more must be done to intervene in kids’ lives earlier and break the cycle of abuse.

“Until we break the cycle, we’re going to continue to have problems,” he said.

— With files from Joyanne Pursaga

james.turner@sunmedia.ca

Twitter: @heyjturner