CECW Information Sheet #2E. Toronto, ON: University of Toronto, Faculty of Social Work.
Child welfare caseloads are increasing across Canada but the factors driving this increase are poorly understood. This is one in a series of fact sheets highlighting key findings from Ontario-wide studies of child welfare investigations conducted in 1993 and 1998.
The 1993 Ontario Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (OIS 1993) was the first survey conducted in Canada to examine the characteristics of children and families investigated by child welfare authorities. The 1998 Ontario Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (OIS 1998) was conducted as part of the Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (CIS). OIS 1993 collected information on a sample of 2,447 child maltreatment investigations conducted by 17 children’s aid societies in Ontario. OIS 1998 was based on a sample of 3,053 child maltreatment investigations. Figures presented here are weighted estimates and do not include maltreated children who were not reported to a children’s aid society.