Ontario
Children’s Aid Societies in Ontario have the exclusive mandate under the Child and Family Services Act (CFSA) to protect children who have been or are at risk of being abused and/or neglected by their caregivers, to provide for their care and supervision where necessary and to place children for adoption (CFSA, 1990). A total of 46 Children’s Aid Societies are specifically designated by the Minister of Children and Youth Services to investigate child abuse and neglect and take the necessary steps to care for children and youth in need of protection. Seven are designated Aboriginal societies and 3 serve religious communities. Children’s Aid Societies are independent legal entities (corporations run by Boards of Directors) or Indian Bands (that operate under the Indian Act) and are accountable to the communities they serve. In addition to the CFSA, the Ontario Child Welfare Eligibility Spectrum and Child Protection Standards guide child protection workers at each phase of service delivery. For more information, visit the information sheet on Ontario's child welfare system.
Ontario - Statistics
Child Maltreatment Investigations in Ontario, 2008* and 2013**
| 2008 | 2013 | |
|---|---|---|
| Child population (0-15) | 2,382,035 | 2,349,600 |
| Number of child maltreatment investigations | 128,748 | 125,281 |
| Incidence of child maltreatment investigations per 1000 children | 54.05 | 53.32 |
Type of Child Maltreatment Investigation in Ontario, 2013**
| Number | Rate per 1,000 children | Percent | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maltreatment Investigation | 97,951 | 41.69 | 78% |
| Risk Investigation | 27,330 | 11.63 | 22% |
Categories of Substantiated Child Maltreatment Investigations in Ontario, 2013**
| Category of Maltreatment | Number | Rate per 1,000 children | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physical Abuse | 5,770 | 2.46 | 13% |
| Sexual Abuse | 848 | 0.36 | 2% |
| Neglect | 10,386 | 4.42 | 24% |
| Emotional Maltreatment | 5,620 | 2.39 | 13% |
| Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence | 20,443 | 8.70 | 48% |
Placement in Child Maltreatment Investigations in Ontario, 2008* and 2013**
| 2008 # | 2008 Rate | 2013 # | 2013 Rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No Placement | 121,436 | 50.98 | 121,020 | 51.51 |
| Informal Kinship Care | 3,616 | 1.52 | 1,874 | 0.80 |
| Formal Placement | 3,696 | 1.55 | 2,387 | 1.02 |
* Fallon, B., Trocmé, N., MacLaurin, B., Sinha, V., Black, T., Felstiner, C., Schumaker, K., Van Wert, M., Herbert, A., Petrowski, N., Daciuk, J., Lee, B., DuRoss, C. & Johnston, A. (2010). Ontario Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect-2008 (OIS‑2008). Toronto, ON: Child Welfare Research Portal. Retrieved from http://cwrp.ca/publications/2293
** Fallon, B., Van Wert, M., Trocmé, N., MacLaurin, B., Sinha, V., Lefebvre, R., Allan, K., Black, T., Lee, B., Rha, W., Smith, C., & Goel, S. (2015). Ontario Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect-2013 (OIS‑2013). Toronto, ON: Child Welfare Research Portal. Retrieved from http://cwrp.ca/publications/OIS-2013
§ Child welfare services fall under the jurisdiction of provincial and territorial authorities, making it difficult to compile statistics at the national level. The most notable variations between provinces include mandate variation by jurisdiction with respect to the age to which children are eligible for services, differences in the length of time a child can receive out-of-home care and the definition of out-of-home care.
Ontario - Legislation
| Ontario Legislation |
|---|
| Child and Family Services Act |
| Children's Law Reform Act |
| Family Law Act |
Ontario - Links
| Last Name |
First Name |
Organization | Province/Territory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ismaila | Afisi | McMaster University | Ontario |
| Leschied | Alan W. | University of Western Ontario | Ontario |
| Macpherson | Alison K. | York University | Ontario |
| D'Angiulli | Amedeo | Carleton University | Ontario |
| Taylor | Andrew | Taylor Newberry Consulting | Ontario |
| Fudge-Schormans | Ann | McMaster University | Ontario |
| Cummings | Anne | University of Western Ontario | Ontario |
| Shlonsky | Aron | University of Toronto / University of Melbourne (AU) | Ontario |
| Fallon | Barbara | University of Toronto | Ontario |
| Lewis | Barry | Ontario Commission to Promote Sustainable Child Welfare | Ontario |
| Kimberly | Brisebois | Windsor-Essex Children's Aid Society | Ontario |
| Leslie | Bruce | Catholic Children's Aid Society of Toronto | Ontario |
| King | Bryn | University of Toronto | Ontario |
| Root | Carol | Chrysalis Centre | Ontario |
| Stalker | Carol A. | Wilfred Laurier University | Ontario |
| Smith | Carrie | King's University College at University of Western Ontario | Ontario |
| Neff | Charlotte | Laurentian University | Ontario |
| Regehr | Cheryl | University of Toronto | Ontario |
| Wekerle | Christine | McMaster University | Ontario |
| Blackstock | Cindy | First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada | Ontario |
