Another Foster Care Death Children’s Aid told girl at risk to self

Children’s Aid told girl at risk to self Children’s Aid told girl at risk to self
Posted By Karena Walter
Posted 22 hours ago


A Family and Children's Services worker who handled the case of a 14-year-old killer believed the girl was a danger to herself, not to others.

Ana Meager testified Monday she was given a psychometrist's report on the girl that found the teen had an inability to understand boundaries in the community and safety risks.

"She would be easily victimized," Meager said.

Meager, who was assigned the girl's file in November 2004, was testifying on the fifth day of a coroner's inquest into the death of Matthew Reid.

The three-year-old boy was smothered by the teenage girl in December 2005 at a Welland foster home, less than 24 hours after she moved in.

When Meager took over the file, she said the girl's former case worker told her there were no serious behavioral problems since the girl had been in care. "I remember her saying, this is an easy case."

During her first visit with the girl, the foster mother and the former case worker, Meager said she was told the girl was able to follow direction. She was also very good with the foster mother's young grandson.

Three weeks into taking over the file though, Meager requested a child youth worker be assigned to provide extra support to the foster family and the teen and provide anger-management strategies.

Meager said the girl was verbally aggressive and had difficulty managing her anger, which made her a risk to herself. The teen would become oppositional, a lot of times when confronted by someone who said no, Meager said.

Once, Meager said she called police to come and talk to the teen about her behaviour.

She said the girl was very remorseful after any problems.

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"She was pleasant. She was happy. She loved Violet (the foster mother) very much. She loved being there," Meager said. "She was in Scouts. She was in dance."

The psychometrist report by Paula Shapiro, who testified earlier in the inquest, was received by Meager in January 2005. It found the girl functioned at the level of a six- or seven-year-old.

Shapiro said the girl should be considered at risk for life-long problems and can't be left alone in the community because she's "needy" and "vulnerable."

Meager said she was surprised by some aspects of the report because her school didn't feel the girl was developmentally delayed. Instead, they found she had a mild intellectual disability that didn't require associated community living. The girl, for instance, could make dinner and cookies, she said.

The girl's school counsellor felt the teen could do more than what the report suggested, Meager said, adding the counsellor thought the report was outdated and off in terms of academic capacity.

Meager said the counsellor felt the report would limit the girl and she would not receive the academic education she should get if the report went into the Ontario School Record, so it wasn't put in her record.

The inquest continues Tuesday at the Quality Hotel Parkway Convention Centre on Ontario Street.

kwalter@stcatharinesstandard.ca

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