Affidavit of Michael Bear - Phoenix Sinclair Inquiry

staff working in the field are required to carry photo identification cards, this would also
be for non-mandated services providers who are working with clients in the field, such
as support workers and teaching homemakers.
8. Social workers providing services in rural communities and reserves typically are
already or become members of the community. As a result, their identities and
occupations are very well known to the people in the communities they serve.
9. Child welfare agencies must sometimes deal with members of the public who are
under stress and who may be unstable. Agencies must always be aware of this reality
and take appropriate precautions, particularly in respect of staff who must deal directly
with the clients in the field.
10. SECFS had responsibility for some communities with the harshest living
environments and social conditions in Manitoba. Staff of SECFS were directed to attend
at client homes in teams of two. If there was any concern on the part of the agency or
staff, the police attended with the social workers. Attempting to keep staff identities
unknown was not a useful risk management took. It was a social worker's behaviour in
the field that was critical, not his or her identity.
11. I cannot recall any incident of a physical attack on staff of SECFS while I was the
Executive Director. I also do not recall any incident of physical attack upon a social