From September 15-19, we join Children’s Aid Societies and Indigenous Child and Family Well-Being Agencies across Ontario in recognizing Kinship and Alternate Care Awareness Week.
Led by the Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies, this province-wide campaign raises awareness of the vital role that Kin, Kith and Alternative Caregivers play in providing safe, temporary care for children and youth, while keeping them connected to their family, community, cultural, religious and identity roots.
At CAST, we continue to see the positive impact of Kinship Service in the lives of children, youth and families during times of need. In 2024–25, 388 children and youth were placed in Kinship placements, and since January 2025, 91 children and youth have been placed in Kinship Service plans.
At CAST, we are always striving to strengthen and enhance our Service delivery. One example is our Rapid Search Model pilot that launched in July 2025. The pilot is already showing promise in helping staff conduct family searches more swiftly to ensure that children and youth who are in care or at risk of coming into care are more quickly connected with caring relatives and extended networks during times of need.
We are deeply grateful to the Kinship Caregivers who step forward to provide stability, compassion and temporary homes for young people. Their care helps reduce family trauma and anxiety, allows for smoother transitions into new living environments, and strengthens a child or youth’s sense of identity by understanding or sharing their community, culture and family background. Some of their sentiments are shared below:
- “It is extremely important to me to be a Kinship Caregiver to provide my grandson with the right environment that he needs to thrive in life and grow up to be the best version of himself. I also take great pride in playing a role in helping my grandson learn and develop.”
- “As a Kinship Caregiver, I provide children with love and make sure that every child has what they need. What I enjoy most is seeing the smile on a child’s face and knowing that they are happy and comfortable.”
To learn more Kinship Service and its benefits visit here: https://www.torontocas.ca/kinship/
