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The Centre of Excellence for Child Welfare

The Centre of Excellence for Child Welfare operates under the administrative leadership of the Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, in partnership with the:

• Child Welfare League of Canada in Ottawa, Ontario; and the
• Institut de recherche pour le développement social des jeunes in Montreal, Quebec; in association with the
• First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada in Ottawa, Ontario

Child abuse and neglect are serious problems in our society, often requiring that children be taken into care. Over 180,000 child abuse and neglect investigations are conducted across Canada on an annual basis. At least 60,000 children, a disproportionate number of whom are Aboriginal, spend some time in out-of-home care every year. Child abuse and neglect are associated with poor developmental outcomes for children, including behavioural and mental health problems, poor educational and employment performance and parenting problems that in turn perpetuate the cycle of abuse and neglect. The Centre of Excellence for Child Welfare works to address some of these issues.

The work of the Centre is informed by direction from a National Advisory Committee, made up of researchers, policy makers and service providers from across Canada.

Focussing on services delivered through the child welfare system, the Centre encourages collaborative projects that integrate prevention and intervention efforts in health care, education, justice and recreation. Building on the skills of researchers and service providers, this Centre creates mechanisms for the effective co-ordination and integration of child welfare research across multiple service systems, including health, education and justice sectors. The Centre has developed an inventory of Canadian child welfare research, which is accessible through its website. The Centre also carries out original research in order to build knowledge to inform child welfare policy and practice and to build capacity for child welfare research in Canada. Research supported by the Centre of Excellence for Child Welfare includes children at all stages of development and both genders, and reflects diverse linguistic, cultural and geographic aspects of child maltreatment in Canada.

Financial and in-kind resources contributed over the five year life span of the Centre to supplement the funding provided by Health Canada.

For more information on the Centre of Excellence for Child Welfare:

Visit the Centre website at www.cecw-cepb.ca or contact:

Susan Sullivan, Communications Coordinator
c/o Child Welfare League of Canada
75 Albert Street, Suite 209
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5E7
Tel: (613) 235-4412, ext. 25
Fax: (613) 235-7616,
E-mail: sue@cecw-cepb.ca

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