Fatality inquiry suggests special training for foster parents

Fatality inquiry suggests special training for foster parents
By FRANK LANDRY, LEGISLATURE BUREAU
Last Updated: August 11, 2010 3:46pm

Foster parents should receive specialized training on Shaken Infant Syndrome and undergo more in-depth criminal background checks, recommends a fatality inquiry report.

This comes nearly two years after an inquiry into the 2005 death of a 13-month-old child who died in foster care.

The infant is identified in the report only by his initials, CJM.

He was placed in foster care in September 2005 over concerns of his biological mother's drug use, says the report.

The unnamed foster parents had already adopted one of the boy's siblings and were fostering another.

CJM was admitted to the University of Alberta hospital roughly two months later and died the following day.

Click here to read the fatality inquiry report.

The foster dad claimed the infant had a seizure, but an investigation concluded his injuries were consistent with Shaken Infant Syndrome, says the report.

It notes the foster parents felt pressured to take the child because they were caring for his siblings.

The report also says the foster father had a criminal history, including convictions in 1981 for possession of stolen property.

In 1987, he was convicted of two charges of assault causing bodily harm.

"He claimed that he had found his wife in bed with another man whom he hit," says the report.

"Such behaviour was unusual for him and he felt badly."

The information was documented in 2004 as part of a background check when the family was adopting one of the older siblings. It was not updated when CJM moved into the home, says the report.

During the inquiry, social worker Marlaine Sitch testified she relied on information given to her by the man "in determining whether any further inquiry was necessary."

The foster dad "did not disclose that in relation to the assault causing bodily harm convictions he had originally been charged with attempted murder," says the report.

"Had that been revealed, Ms. Sitch testified that she would have approached the case worker to obtain guidance."

A psychological assessment could have been recommended as a result, says the report.

It also notes privacy legislation limits the ability of Children and Youth Services staff to access police files on a prospective foster parent.

While criminal convictions can be accessed, the records don't necessarily contain information on the circumstances around the offence or whether the original charges differed, says the report.

The inquiry report makes 11 recommendations, including changing provincial law to make it easier to access police files on those applying to be foster parents.

It also calls for foster parents to undergo training on Shaken Infant Syndrome.

While foster parents must undergo hours of training, there isn't a specific course that deals exclusively with that subject, confirmed Stuart Elson, a spokesman for Children and Youth Services.

He said all the recommendations will be looked at.

There have been several changes already made since the 2005 incident, Elson said.

frank.landry@sunmedia.ca

http://www.edmontonsun.com/news/alberta/2010/08/11/14992261.html