The Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies (OACAS) released a report on the well-being of children in care today. The report makes recommendations for changes in three priority areas: services for Aboriginal children and families, adoption and youth growing up in care. (more…)

Please click here to download “Child Welfare Report 2010″

This is the first comprehensive Child Welfare Report for the Province of Ontario. The report provides information and data that describes the services received by over 27,000 children and almost 25,000 families from their local CAS. The report also gives an overview of the factors driving the need for services offered by CASs, the legal mandate of CASs, the investments required to keep children safe, the checks and balances in place to ensure accountability, and how you can help improve the quality and standard of of living for children and youth in care

*This story appears in Marketing Magazine (www.marketingmag.ca)

The Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies (OACAS) has launched an awareness campaign to educate the public on the organization’s role within the community, and ways they can get involved. (more…)

This issue of Immigrant Post features articles with a number of CAS of Toronto employees. Please visit Immigrant Post to read more.

The Publisher of Immigrant Post had the opportunity to meet with Sharron Richards, Director of Community Development & Prevention Services and asked the following questions. (more…)

December 18, 2009 (Toronto, ON)- The Children’s Aid Society of Toronto will receive a total of $1.89 million in funding to redevelop their office site on Kennedy Road in Scarborough. A recent joint announcement made by Infrastructure Canada and the Government of Ontario confirmed that $1.26 million will be immediately available to the Society, based on an application they submitted earlier this fall to carry out much needed upgrades to their facility in Toronto’s east end. In addition the Children’s Aid Foundation will contribute $633,334.00 to the project, bringing the total to $1.89 million. (more…)

It was a special anniversary on a typical grey day in November as we set up, with the help of some men who are homeless, for a Community Dinner for families and children who use the food bank and those who use children’s services at Agincourt Community Service Association (ACSA) in Scarborough. Co-sponsored by ACSA, the Scarborough Anti-Poverty Coalition and assisted by the Children’s Aid Foundation, the small event commemorated the 20th anniversary of the 1989 promise to end child poverty in Canada. And after twenty very long years, just how far we had come was on everyone’s mind. (more…)

Award recognizes those who take action against child abuse

October 29, 2009 (TORONTO, ON) – Community hero, Glory Chowtie, whose caring actions saved the life of a new-born child and The Gatehouse, a community agency that offers transformative support to victims of childhood abuse, will both be recognized today for their significant contributions to protecting children from abuse and neglect. The 7th annual Stand Up for Kids Award, sponsored by Toronto’s four Children’s Aid Societies will be presented to Glory Chowtie and The Gatehouse by the Honourable Laurel Broten, Minister of Children and Youth Services as part of October’s Child Abuse Prevention Month. (more…)

The Honourable Laurel Broten, Minister of Children and Youth Services, to present 7th Annual Stand Up For Kids Award

Award recognizes local heroes who take action against child abuse and neglect (more…)

TORONTO, Oct. 14 /CNW/ - Protecting the well being of Ontario’s most vulnerable children is becoming increasingly more challenging, as the funding shortfall that has already affected 49 of the province’s 51 children’s aid societies deepens.

The provincial government has stated that there will not be any additional funds made available to Children’s Aid Societies (CASs) this year, and that all agencies will have to operate within their existing allocations. Some CASs in Ontario are facing a serious financial crisis and their ability to deliver protection services and care for children may end in November. Other agencies will likely be in a similar position in January 2010. –>

On Tuesday, October 6, Toronto CASs launched Child Abuse Prevention Month for October.  Mayor David Miller, local media personalities, government officials and the public joined us in a friendly challenge to determine who has Toronto’s strongest voice against child abuse.

Want to see what the hype is all about?

Click here to see highlights from the Use Your Voice challenge!

 Dave Fleming, Director of Intake, spoke with Andy Barrie on September 23rd on CBC’s Metro Morning about the importance of reporting any suspicions of child abuse and neglect. 

Click here to listen to the interview.

Members of our Senior Leadership team help to recognize FASDay (International Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Day) at our “Pregnant Pause.” The pause was strategically placed on the 9th month of the 9th hour of the 9th minute to symbolize that during the nine months of a women’s pregnancy no amount of alcohol is a safe amount. In Canada, the incidence of FASD has been estimated to be 9 in 1000 live births. The impact of alcohol during prenatal growth has a wide variety of impacts but can include intellectual deficits and learning disabilities, hyperactivity and damage to the central nervous system.

Media Advisory

WHO: TORONTO FETAL ALCOHOL SPECTRUM DISORDERS NETWORK & FASworld

WHAT: Pregnant Pause, in recognition of FASDay (International Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Day) will see a large gathering of men and women dressed up to look ‘pregnant’ and observe 99 seconds of ‘frozen’ silence to remind everyone that it is best to stop drinking before trying to get pregnant, when trying to conceive and as soon as you know you are pregnant. The pause is strategically placed on the 9th month of the 9th hour of the 9th minute to symbolize that during the nine months of a women’s pregnancy no amount of alcohol is a safe amount. (more…)

Same-sex marriages have been valid in Ontario since 2003, but not many people know that it had already been legal for a few years to adopt children together as a gay couple. Following a series of court decisions, Paul Farrell and David Smagata became the first same-sex couple in Canada to jointly adopt a child in 2000, via the Children’s Aid Society of Toronto. Since then, more than a hundred LGBT Toronto couples have welcomed children into their homes via adoption—a dream that some had grown up believing would never be realized in their lifetimes.  To read more about same sex adoption, see “Family, Valued” from the Torontoist.

On Saturday, June 20 the following article appeared in Sing Tao Daily, the most widely read Chinese language newspaper in Ontraio.  On behalf of the Agency, Heidi Kiang, Director, Volunteer Services sat down for a lengthy interview in which she addressed many of the CAS myths that exist in the chinese community and detailed to the reporter the proceedures under which we operate and the services that we offer as we work to ensure that children are safe, families are strong and communities are supported.

New Chair takes over Board of Directors
Impressive diversity among seven new members

The Board of Directors of the Children’s Aid Society of Toronto elected a new Board Chair at their Annual General Meeting on June 18, 2009. Dr. Janet Morrison, a senior administrator at York University and CAS of Toronto Board member since 1999, takes over Board Chair duties from Lisa Lifshitz. (more…)

TORONTO, April 24— When considering adoption most families believe the younger the child, the better. The Adoption Council of Ontario wants to dispel that myth by raising the awareness of the considerable benefits to adopting an older child.

In Ontario, there are approximately 2,500 children waiting to be adopted. “There are no unwanted children, just unfound families,” said Pat Convery, Executive Director of the Adoption Council of Ontario (ACO), “We need to do a better job of informing families about the rewards of adoption, especially the adoption of older children. These are children that want and need permanent loving families”, she added. (more…)

For media inquiries and/or general information, contact:

Rob Thompson, Director of Communications

416-924-4640 ext. 1-2086

Catherine Snoddon, Communications Coordinator

416-924-4640 ext. 1-2074

Supporting the Society in Training Research, Program Evaluation and Consultation

For many years our Society has contemplated how we can work together with our community service partners and colleges and universities to share our knowledge and skills across the child welfare field. We are very pleased to announce that we now have a Child Welfare Institute which will offer training, research, program evaluation and consultation to our community partners and students in the child welfare discipline. (more…)

By Theresa Wojtasiewicz, Reprinted by Permission from Canadian Newcomer Magazine
A pregnant woman arrives in Toronto, a refugee from her country of origin. Four days later, she is in the hospital, having her baby. Hospital staff learn she is living in a refugee shelter which does not allow children. She has no friends or family to help her. She has no supplies for taking care of her baby after it is born. She has received no medical care during her pregnancy, and she shows signs of having been tortured. The hospital, worried she will not be able to cope, calls the Children’s Aid Society. (more…)

The only way to stop child abuse is to talk about it, a new public service announcement created by Nancy Marshall, volunteer, teaches children to tell a trusted adult if they are being hurt.