Ethno-racial Categories and Child Welfare Decisions: Exploring the Relationship with Poverty

The Ontario Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect, 2013 (OIS-2013) is the fifth provincial study to examine the incidence of reported child maltreatment and the characteristics of children and families investigated by child welfare authorities in Ontario. This information sheet examines the relationship of poverty and ethno-racial status to the decision to transfer an investigation to ongoing services and the decision to place a child in out-of-home care at the conclusion of a maltreatment-related investigation.