Affidavit of Michael Bear - Phoenix Sinclair Inquiry

Southern
Authority
"She's a child who died in care and she died bv her own
hand, so yes, the svstem failed her. It's a system that
ideallv protects children. It's a svstem that doesn'
always achieve that did not do that for Tracia and clearly
in mv mind it failed her." (Vol. 20, p. 126)
[137] Ms Elsie Flette, with 27 years of experience in child welfare practice,
became the CEO of the Southern First Nation, Child and Family Services
Authority in May of 2003. Ms Flette was responsible for, among many
other things, the restructuring pursuant to the AJI recommendations for
putting control over aboriginal children and families with aboriginal people.
This mammoth task of implementation was completed in May of 2005 and
the Southeast Child and Family Services is one of the agencies mandated by
the Southern First Nation Authority. Not only does the Authority mandate
an agency but they are responsible for funding of the agency on the portion
of provincial responsibility and they are the oversight body and responsible
for the service delivery system. Ultimately the Authority is responsible for
making sure the Southeast Child A Family Services are doing what needs to
be done according to established standards and are responsible for
compliance and quality assurance of that agency.
[138] Thus, the interest of the Inquiry in hearing her testimony on the
Southeast Child and Family Services Agency and its responsibility for
Tracia Owen.
[139] Tracia Owen would have been under the oversight responsibility of
the Authority for approximately 17 months. But because of the numbers
involved (3,000 in care) and unless something triggers a specific review of
the file it would be impossible for every single file to be reviewed.
[140] It is expected through the legislative framework, regulation, standards,
internal monitoring, complaints made, licensing applications and the like,
such cases would be flagged.
[141] It would be a particular expectation that adherence to the standards of
case planning and case assessment would have caught this case.
[142] It should be noted that this was not a child who was lost in the system
as such. She was one requiring constant attention and needs to be met. In
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