SQLFusion - Former CAS head unaware of preganancies at group home

Former CAS head unaware of pregnancies at group home

Cornwall Standard Freeholder

24 October 2008

Posted By TREVOR PRITCHARD

The former head of the local Children's Aid Society told the Cornwall Public Inquiry he couldn't recall learning that two teenage girls assigned to a Martintown group home in the 1970s had been impregnated by the sons of the foster parents.

Thomas O'Brien testified that had he known that first Larry Lapensee, and then his brother Brian, had children with the two girls, the home would have been closed long before allegations of sexual abuse against Brian Lapensee came to light in December 1982.

"It might have been the end of the home after we knew about Larry, never mind the two boys," said O'Brien, who was the executive director of the CAS from 1966 until 1990.

Yesterday was O'Brien's second and final day at the inquiry, which is probing historical sexual abuse allegations in the Cornwall area.

In 1982, girls staying at the home told the CAS they were being abused by Brian Lapensee, who would allegedly grope them and shove his hands down their shirts.

The Lapensee home stayed open until 1983, when one of the family's former foster children, Roberta Archambault, told the agency Brian Lapensee had made sexual advances toward her while she stayed there over the Easter holidays.

Shortly after that holiday visit, Archambault attempted suicide. When she testified at the inquiry in 2006, she alleged that Brian Lapensee had previously molested her and forced her to perform oral sex.

Dallas Lee, a lawyer for The Victims Group and for Archambault, took O'Brien to last week's testimony from the home's supervisor, Ian MacLean.

MacLean, Lee said, had "no idea until the Cornwall Public Inquiry came about" that there had been two pregnancies at the home.

The caseworker for the first impregnated girl made a note in her file, but that information never made it into the file for the Lapensee home - something Lee described Thursday as "a major error."

He further suggested a 1983 letter sent by O'Brien to the Crown attorney's office, outlining the facts of Archambault's allegation, should have included the entire history of Brian Lapensee's involvement with CAS wards.

"Would you agree with me that the CAS failed the girls it was putting into that home?" asked Lee.

"Knowing what I know now, I think we should have been much more thorough in our investigations and, if necessary, taken action to close the home," said O'Brien.

Brian Lapensee was never charged in connection with the sexual abuse allegations. The inquiry resumes this morning with the testimony of another former executive director, Richard Abell.

Article ID# 1262603

Comments

CAS failed to do anything correct it appears and nothing but excuses, it seems that they only heard the sounds of there own brain which seems to be that of. No that would be an insult to someone we would refer to as brainless, ya they would qualify it that order,see know evil, hear know evil, speak know evil. Don,t want to hear about it not on my shift.

Reply | Report | Page Top Post #1 By what justice,

This kind of thing is still happening all over Ontario today and in fact all of Canada and still it is swept under the rug and kept hidden from the public.

All the government parties both provincial and federal are aware this is still happening to the children of this country but they chose to do nothing, hoping it will go away. Ontario cas's especially need to be put under investigation for wrong doings like what is beginning to happen in Alberta and held accountable for their lack of action and compassion for the children in this country.

Reply | Report | Page Top Post #2 By FreetheChildren,

You would think that the motto of the CAS is "WE DON'T KNOW NOTHIN!" about any stinkin abuses! Yah, yah, and "the cow jumped over the moon"! And I also see this rag has doubled up on the stories again today, eh? What is it, "tech glitch" or what? Good job y'all, good job! And I say that with tongue firmly planted in cheek!!!! Reply | Report | Page Top Post #1 By grimreaper_47, FURTHER TO THAT, I WOULD SUGGEST THAT BETWEEN THE CAS AND THE CCAS, THE TWO OF THOSE SOCIETIES WOULD MANAGE TO PHUCK UP A WET DREAM.

Reply | Report | Page Top Post #3 By grimreaper_47

As mooted recently by so many around the globe, the time has come for the government to start sourcing their CAS and family law policy making information, from those in the community who are the most disadvantaged and suffering the worst excesses of cruelty from those at the centre of the present debacle. Continuing to source this information from those that are profiteering from this gross travesty of justice, and who themselves are the perpetrators, shows an alarming lack of governmental understanding of the complex issues at hand.

What can you as an individual do to bring about change?

We can do much, particularly since historically, nothing this unjust is sustainable and therefore change is inevitable. However this problem is not going to resolve itself, and we can see how inept governments are, at solving complex problems. So it is up to us, first and foremost, to start driving the debate and setting the agenda.

Ignorant politicians are drawn from an ignorant community, so we cannot expect our current crop of politicians to provide the answers, it is wholly and solely up to all of us to educate the community. There are many ways an informed community can send the strong message to our politicians, that ‘we will no longer tolerate the state forcibly removing children from the love, care and protection of responsible parents’. It is possible,

The government is running a 500 million dollar deficit. I have a solution for the Ontario government that could save them some if not all that amount.

Withhold some of the 1.5 billion they pay to the CAS agencies and they won’t be in the hole anymore. We all know that the majority of that money they give the CAS agencies is for the workers and head guys wages and their lawyers wages. Without money to pay lawyers then there would be less children being taken into care, less workers employed, less lawyers needed, less overloaded family courts and maybe more actual working to keep the families together and the children in their real homes and less drain on the tax payers.

Visit www.corruptioncentral.com

Reply | Report | Page Top Post #4 By c_corruptioncentral,