Children in our Care

My child is in care . . . What now? We are here to help

If your child is in our care

Children come into the care of Children's Aid Societies (CASs) for various reasons. Their parents may not be able to care for them safely, other supports such as counseling or education haven't worked or aren't available, and friends and relatives can't help out.

Some children are placed with us voluntarily by their parents, while others are placed by court order. You should talk to your CAS worker about your child's personal situation.

Occasionally, it may be best to bring a child into care on a voluntary basis. This is done for a limited period of time, with your consent and the consent of your child, if he or she is 12 years of age or older.

If your child is removed from home against your wishes, a judge will decide what should happen next. The CAS must present the situation to a Family Court Judge within five days. The judge makes the decision about whether the child should remain in CAS care or return home. You can get a lawyer to help you in court. If you can't afford one, you should ask for assistance from the legal aid office.

Length of care

We believe that children are almost always better off growing up in their own homes. Therefore we'll try to return your child home again as soon as possible.

To help do this, we'll work with you to try to resolve the factors that brought your child into our care.

Some children, however, may need to be cared for away from home on a long-term basis. Generally, only a judge can make this decision.

Whatever decision is made about your child's future, the law requires that it be done early. That's because research shows that children, especially young children, need permanency in their lives as soon as possible.

Providing a home for your child

We offer several types of placements for children in CAS care. This includes foster homes, kinship homes, group homes, and other kinds of residences. Some of these are managed directly by the CAS, while others are run by community agencies.

We'll place your child in the best available home that's able to meet his or her needs. We'll also try to make sure that it's as close as possible to your child's home community, and that your child's culture and religious affiliation is observed and respected.

Caring for your child

Most children in our care, particularly young children, live with foster families.

The family caring for your child will have been carefully selected using a rigorous approval process. They receive training and support, and are regularly evaluated on their ability to care for other people's children.

We will assign a child in care worker (usually a different worker than the one assigned to work with you and other members of your family) to make sure that your child is living in a safe, healthy environment, and that his or her needs are being met appropriately.

In most cases you have the right to be involved in the important decisions that need to be made about your child. We'll also involve your child in a way that's appropriate to his or her age and ability.

To help cover the living expenses of your child while in care, you'll be asked to make a contribution, if you're able to do so. Your CAS worker will talk with you about this.

Your child's rights

While your child is in the care of the CAS, he or she has several important rights, including:

• The right to participate in the important decisions that are made about his or her life in a way that's appropriate to his or her age and ability.
• The right to privacy.
• The right to visit with you, unless a judge or the CAS worker decides it's not in your child's best interests.
• The right to receive appropriate care, including nutritional meals, education that suits his or her abilities, regular medical and dental care, age appropriate clothing, and participation in after-school recreational activities.
• The right to freedom from physical abuse or punishment, and from emotional, sexual, and verbal abuse.
• The right to practice his or her religion, and to receive religious instruction.
• The right to participate in activities that are important to his or her culture and heritage.
• The right to have his or her individuality respected, including ability, sexual orientation, and gender identification.

Visiting your child

You may visit with your child, unless your CAS worker, your child's CAS worker, or a judge considers it's not in your child's best interests.

These visits may occur at your home, in the community, at the CAS office or at the place where your child is living. You, your CAS worker, foster parent(and your child if he or she is old enough) will discuss when, where, and how often you can visit.

Your rights as a parent

The CAS must make a reasonable effort to notify you of all matters involving court. There must also be reasonable access to certain information in CAS files.

A plan will be created to outline what everyone must do to ensure the best outcome for your child, whether that is remaining in our care for a period of time, or returning home.

CAS records are confidential

The CAS must keep accurate records of all contacts with children and their families to document our activity, and collect important information to help your family. All records are confidential and disclosure of their contents is strictly regulated.

You have rights to:

• Review and understand your record
• Have the record explained to you

Problem resolution while your child is in care

We want to provide services that are helpful to you and your child. We must also comply with the laws governing children in CAS care.

If there's a problem, we'll do our best to resolve it. Please feel free to talk to your CAS worker if you have any concerns or questions.

If you and your CAS worker can't sort it out, ask to speak to the CAS manager. If you, the worker and the manager can't resolve the problem, the CAS has a formal complaints procedure that will be explained to you. You can ask for a written copy of this procedure at any time.

Disagreement with a judge's decision

If your child is in care because of the decision of a judge, you'll likely have had a lawyer representing you in court. Depending on the age of your child, they may also have a lawyer representing them.

The lawyer will represent your interests and explain the judge's decisions to you, as well as any court procedures you don't understand. The lawyer will also tell you what you can do if you disagree with the judge's decision.

Additional information

While your child is in care you should speak to your CAS worker about anything you don't understand, or if you have any other questions or concerns.