Child & Youth Complaints Process
As a child or youth working with the Children’s Aid Society of Toronto, it is our responsibility to provide you with service that meets your needs. If you have a concern or complaint about the services you have received, or are currently receiving, or any violation of your rights as a child or youth in our care, we want to hear from you so that we can work to find a solution. Access our Complaints brochure here or follow below to better understand the steps we can take together to resolve your complaint.
You can share your complaint verbally or in writing with your Worker, Foster Parent, group home staff or our Manager of Client Services. Please understand that if you make a complaint, you will not experience negative consequences.
Someone who is representing or helping you can also tell us about your complaint, such as a family member, lawyer, the Ontario Ombudsman or a teacher.
You will be supported by a member of our staff who is not the subject of the complaint. This will usually be your Worker, but it may also be their Supervisor or another Worker if they’re unable to support. Once they have received a complaint about your care/treatment or a violation of your rights, they will contact you within 24 hours to determine whether there are any immediate steps which can be taken and how to support you through the complaint process.
After receiving your complaint your Worker will take the following steps:
- Listen to you and document your complaint
- Understand if your complaint is related to your rights
- Meet with you and anyone else who is involved
- Develop a plan to address your complaint
- After a plan is developed, your Worker will hold meetings with:
- The person who is the subject of the complaint
- You and your support person
- Anyone else involved, if necessary
- The plan and next steps will be shared with you and your placement, and documented in your case file. Our role is to ensure that everyone involved understands the next steps.
- Once the plan is in place, your Worker will speak with you to see how it is working.
We will provide you or the person who made the complaint on your behalf, with an update every 15 days or when requested, until the complaint is resolved.
If it is determined that your rights were violated, we will take steps to prevent this from happening again.
Please note, at any time during the complaint process, we welcome you to bring a support person with you, including a representative of your Band or Indigenous community. We can also provide an interpreter as required.
If you don’t agree with the decisions that are made or the plan that is developed, you can tell your Worker or their Supervisor and they will ask the Director for a further review. You can also call the Director yourself.
You can contact the Manager, Client Services at 416-924-4646 ext. 2103 or via email at managerclientservices@torontocas.ca if these steps have not been helpful.
The Manager, Client Services can help you contact the Child and Family Services Review Board to submit your complaint for further review. You can also contact your lawyer at any time to discuss your concerns.
The Ombudsman investigates and resolves complaints about matters concerning children and youth receiving services from Children’s Aid Societies in Ontario. You can contact the Ombudsman at any time during the complaint process using the contact information below.
Website: Ombudsman.on.ca
Telephone: 416-325-5669 or TTY 416-325-2648
Email: cy-ej@ombudsman.on.ca
Fax: 416-325-5681
If you have concerns about your placement, the Residential Placement Advisory Committee (RPAC) is able to review the placements of children and youth in care. Reach out by phone to 416-482-0081 ext 7233 or email RPAC@lumenus.ca.
