Child Welfare Across Canada
Child welfare services fall under the mandate of provincial and territorial governments, including a rapidly expanding system of Aboriginal child welfare authorities. This section contains material related to federal initiatives concerned with child welfare services as well as statistics compiled at the national level.
All Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect reports can be found here.
National - Statistics
Child Maltreatment Investigations in Canada, 1998 and 2008*
| 1998 | 2008 | |
|---|---|---|
| Child population | 6,301,295 | 6,022,005 |
| Number of child maltreatment investigations | 134,566 | 235,842 |
| Incidence of child maltreatment investigations per 1,000 children | 21.36 | 39.16 |
Type of Child Maltreatment Investigation in Canada, 2008*
| Number | Rate per 1,000 children | Percent | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maltreatment Investigation | 174,411 | 28.97 | 74% |
| Risk Investigation | 61,431 | 10.19 | 26% |
Primary Categories of Substantiated Child Maltreatment Investigations in Canada, 2008*
| Category of Maltreatment | Number | Rate per 1,000 children | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physical Abuse | 17,212 | 2.86 | 20% |
| Sexual Abuse | 2,607 | 0.43 | 3% |
| Neglect | 28,939 | 4.81 | 34% |
| Emotional Maltreatment | 7,423 | 1.23 | 9% |
| Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence | 29,259 | 4.86 | 34% |
Placement in Child Maltreatment Investigations in 1998 and in Child Maltrement and Risk Investigations in Canada in 2008*
| 1998 Number | 1998 Rate | 2008 Number | 2008 Rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Informal Kinship Care | 5,851 | 0.93 | 8,713 | 1.45 |
| Formal Placement | 11,003 | 1.74 | 10,886 | 1.81 |
* Public Health Agency of Canada. (2010). Canadian incidence study of reported child abuse and neglect 2008: Major findings (p. 122). Public Health Agency of Canada. Retrieved from http://cwrp.ca/publications/2117
| Title | Authors | Year |
Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| The well-being of children in wealthy countries: UNICEF Report Card 7 |
Lajoie, Jules |
2007 | Information sheet |
| Pathways to the overrepresentation of Aboriginal children in care |
Gough, Pamela |
2005 | Information sheet |
| Child abuse and neglect investigations in Canada: Comparing 1998 and 2003 data |
Trocmé, Nico |
2005 | Information sheet |
| Children’s Exposure to Domestic Violence in Canada |
Black, Tara |
2005 | Information sheet |
| Child Emotional Maltreatment in Canada |
Trocmé, Nico |
2005 | Information sheet |
| Child Neglect in Canada |
Roy, Catherine |
2005 | Information sheet |
| Physical abuse of children in Canada |
MacLaurin, Bruce |
2005 | Information sheet |
| Sexual abuse of children in Canada |
Fallon, Barbara |
2005 | Information sheet |
| Physical harm and family composition: Maltreated children with developmental delay |
Brown, Ivan |
2004 | Information sheet |
| Maltreatment rates in children with developmental delay |
Brown, Ivan |
2004 | Information sheet |
National - Legislation
Child welfare services fall under the jurisdiction of provincial and territorial authorities as a result each province and territory has different legislation pertaining to child protection interventions. For more information click here.
The only child welfare regulations and legislation that apply to all provinces and territories are the Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development First Nations Child and Family Services National Program Manual and the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of the Child:
- Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Program Manual
- Since 1991 the Canadian government has formally committed to ratifying the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of the Child
National - Links
