Former Ontario social worker Kaitlyn Braun has permanently surrendered her professional registration following a criminal conviction for defrauding more than a dozen doulas and faking pregnancies, according to disciplinary records from the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers. The case, which spans multiple jurisdictions, concluded a disciplinary hearing on Aug. 10 where Braun faced professional misconduct allegations under the Social Work and Social Service Work Act.
Disciplinary Committee Proceedings and Findings
The charges stemmed from incidents occurring between June 2022 and March 2023, during which Braun obtained doula services under false pretenses across Ontario, Alberta, and the United States. Committee records state that Braun lied to doulas by claiming she had been sexually assaulted or was experiencing miscarriages and stillbirths. In one instance, she sent a photograph of a stillborn baby to a provider and failed to pay for services rendered.
Investigators and disciplinary documents detailed invasive behavior during these interactions. According to the hearing records, Braun coerced a doula into performing a massage on her back and buttocks while naked or partially naked, and used a breast pump shirtless in front of another provider. Victims reported severe personal and professional fallout, with one doula stating in court that the experience left her afraid of trusting social workers, taking on new clients, or attending births.
Criminal Conviction and Sentencing
The disciplinary action follows a criminal case prosecuted in the Ontario Court of Justice. On Dec. 7, 2023, Braun pleaded guilty to one count of public mischief for submitting a false sexual assault report, alongside four counts of committing an indecent act, 11 counts of obtaining services by false pretense, and five counts of fraud involving 13 different doulas. Brantford Police Service constables and hospital staff became involved after Braun completed a sexual assault evidence kit at Brantford General Hospital in February 2023, only to email a detective later that day confessing she fabricated the report.
On Feb. 14, 2024, a judge sentenced Braun to two years less a day of house arrest, followed by three years of probation, alongside a court-mandated therapy requirement. Court evidence showed that even after the initial police involvement, Braun used aliases—such as Kate Baker and Jessica Baker—to contact a parental support charity and a Hamilton-based doula under similar false claims of pregnancy loss.
Professional History and Termination
Braun earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from Wilfrid Laurier University in 2020 before gaining registration with the provincial college. Between Oct. 21, 2021, and July 18, 2022, she was employed as a residential counsellor at Haldimand & Norfolk Women’s Services (HNWS). On Aug. 17, 2022, the college received a termination report from HNWS outlining multiple concerns regarding Braun’s workplace conduct, including fabricated claims that her mother had entered a coma and subsequently died, as well as an inappropriate and threatening comment directed at a colleague.
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