CAS Loved Accused Foster Mom

November 8, 2008 permalink

In the Alberta Kafka case, social worker Edele Kaffo had no concerns about the foster mother on trial for murder. Now that the boy is dead, social services wants to tell the opposite story, that the foster mom was a monster. In lesser cases, social workers have been known to lie when their agency changes position, but that is impossible in a criminal case where defense lawyers can confront the witness with old written reports.

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No concerns about foster mom, case worker tells Edmonton murder trial

Florence Loyie, edmontonjournal.com, Friday, November 07, 2008

EDMONTON - An Edmonton social worker says she never had any concerns that a foster mother accused of murdering a three-year-old boy had any difficulty caring for the child.

Edele Kaffo told a jury trial Friday that she would have removed the boy from the home immediately had she any indications the foster mother was abusive towards the child.

Based on her telephone conversations with the foster mother and home visits between Dec. 6, 2006, and Jan. 26, 2007, the foster mother appeared to be doing her upmost to better the boy's situation, Kaffo said.

The woman purchased winter clothing with her own money, took the boy to see her family doctor for a physical assessment, took him to the dentist and acted as an advocate to get him various services because she suspected the child had fetal alcohol syndrome, Kaffo said.

She also spent numerous hours trying to rid the boy of head lice because she had been asked not to cut his long hair in keeping with his aboriginal culture, Kaffo said under questioning from defence lawyer Brian Beresh.

"She was a model foster parent, right?," Beresh asked.

"Based on my visits and phone calls, I didn't have any concerns," Kaffo said.

The foster mother was charged with second-degree murder in the boy's death in January 2007. The jury will have to decide if the boy's fatal head injuries were self-inflicted or the result of an assault. The woman cannot be named to protect the identity of the child.

floyie@thejournal.canwest.com

Source: Edmonton Journal