CECW Information Sheet #3E. Toronto, ON: University of Toronto, Faculty of Social Work.
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.
Between 1993 and 1998, the estimated number of investigations of child maltreatment substantiated by children’s aid societies in Ontario nearly doubled, rising from 12,300 to 24,400. Analysis of reporting patterns underlying this increase points to a significant shift in reporting practices by professionals.