Protecting Children

At the Catholic Children’s Aid Society, we believe we all share a responsibility to protect children from harm.  If you have reasonable grounds to suspect that a child is at risk of abuse or neglect you have a legal responsibility to promptly report it to a Children’s Aid Society. You are not required to prove that abuse or neglect has or could happen. Our child protection workers use a professional, standardized process to determine if reported concerns require further investigation.

Professionals who work with children, such as teachers, child care workers and doctors have a special duty to report concerns of abuse and neglect to a Children’s Aid Society.

Learn more about your legal duty to report click here.

Learn the signs of child abuse or neglect click here.

Link to video:  https://youtu.be/a-McRlBIVdk

Responding to Your Calls

• When you call us to report your concerns about a child's safety and well-being, we immediately begin to gather detailed information about the situation. This includes speaking with the child, parents, school officials etc., and determining the supports a family may need.
• If we determine that the referral is of a non-severe nature, we will assist the family by seeking helpful support services such as crisis management, mental health treatment, counselling, training in safe parenting skills, and other supports to prevent child abuse and neglect.
• Since children are adversely impacted by violence within the home, we will also be looking for signs of woman abuse in order to provide referrals and support in this area.

Keeping Families Together

• In most cases, we are able to keep children at home while we work with their families.
• Where there are concerns about a child’s safety within the home, CCAS may seek a court order to supervise children at home.
• If necessary, we may seek a court order to place children in the temporary care of relatives or friends through our kinship program, or with friends or foster parents.
• We place a high value on a child’s connections with their extended family and cultural needs when planning for the safety of a child.

Involving You in Planning For Your Child's Care

• Whenever possible, we actively involve children and families in planning the care and service they receive from us.
• We bring together extended family, community and other professionals to discuss concerns, and build upon family strengths.

Responding to Your Concerns

• From time to time, children and/or their families who are recipients of our services may disagree with the service that is provided to them. It is important for us to try and resolve these complaints as soon as possible.
• Please discuss your concerns with your worker and review our Client Complaints Resolution process to learn more.