Social worker recalls little at Phoenix Sinclair inquiry

A social worker who was assigned to Phoenix Sinclair's family in 2000 could not remember many details of the case at a public inquiry looking into the Manitoba girl's death.

Delores Chief-Abigosis, who was assigned to Phoenix's case after the little girl was returned to her biological parents in the fall of 2000, answered more than 70 questions about the girl's care on Monday by saying, "I can't recall."

The inquiry is looking at how Manitoba's child and family services (CFS) officials handled Phoenix's case during the child's short life.

Phoenix only lived to be five years old, spending her life in and out of foster care before she died on the Fisher River First Nation in 2005 shortly after she was returned to her biological mother, Samantha Kematch.

Kematch and her common-law husband, Karl McKay, were convicted in 2008 of first-degree murder in connection with Phoenix's death.

Service agreement signed

The inquiry has already heard that Phoenix was apprehended by CFS workers within days of her birth in April 2000, over concerns about Kematch's ability to parent.

On Monday, the inquiry heard that Phoenix was returned to Kematch and Steve Sinclair, the infant's biological father, on Sept. 5, 2000.

However, the parents had to sign a service agreement with Winnipeg Child and Family Services.

The six-point agreement required regular visits to the Kematch-Sinclair home from a social worker. Chief-Abigosis was assigned to that file in mid-November 2000.

Testifying on Monday, Chief-Abigosis said it was her understanding that the service agreement merited weekly or biweekly meetings with the family.

No contact made for months

However, Chief-Abigosis's own notes indicate that no contact was made until February 2001.

When asked by inquiry counsel what work, if any, she did on Phoenix's file between November 2000 and February 2001, Chief-Abigosis replied, "I can't recall."

When asked if that meant there was no activity on the file during that time, she said, "There probably was activity that was happening. I just didn't document it."

Chief-Abigosis also could not recall why she failed to note that Kematch was pregnant during a visit she did make on Feb. 9, 2001, or why it took her another two months to contact the family after that.

Chief-Abigosis said she could not remember why she did not respond immediately to subsequent tips from other social workers about high-risk situations at the home of Kematch and Sinclair.

Those high-risk situations included a physical assault, police involvement, the couple's break-up, and reports of an unsuitable caregiver babysitting their children.

Chief-Abigosis acknowledged that those types of situations would have required a response within 24 hours. The inquiry heard that she responded within days.

In fact, Chief-Abigosis seemed to recall very little beyond her old case notes, which she reviewed before testifying on Monday.