Ontario Association of Children's Aid Societies

Launching Healthy Minds, Healthy Lives: A Learning Series for Caregivers in Child Welfare

OACAS is pleased to announce the launch of Healthy Minds, Healthy Lives, a new learning series for caregivers in child welfare.

Developed in collaboration with provincial partners and experts, the Healthy Minds, Healthy Lives series was created specifically for foster, group, kin, adoptive, and customary caregivers. The series focuses on helping them to understand the types of mental health challenges faced by children and youth in the child welfare system, so that they are better equipped to help them.

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Resources and Supports for Ontario Families

Children’s Aid Societies and Indigenous Child and Family Well-Being Agencies in Ontario ARE continuing their child protection services. We are NOT closed. Although agencies across the province have modified their business practices to respond to health and safety concerns, their core protection services continue. If any member of the public or professional have a concern about the safety and/or well-being of a child or youth under 18, they should immediately contact their local Children’s Aid Societies or Indigenous Child and Family Well-Being Agency.

We know that children, youth, and families in Ontario are struggling now more than ever. We also know that the kinds of challenges that families are facing are wide-ranging, from food and housing insecurity to mental health and addictions to intimate partner violence. We have put together a list of resources and supports that will hopefully serve to show that there are lots of places to turn to when you, or someone you know, is in need of help.

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On January 1, 2020, Part X of the Child, Youth, and Family Services Act comes into force, creating a new access and privacy framework for Ontario’s child and family services sector. The Information and Privacy Commissioner will oversee these new rules for the collection, use and disclosure of personal information.

To raise awareness of access and privacy rights among, children, youth and families, the IPC has prepared a brochure, poster and quick reference card.

The IPC has also developed resources for service providers. These include a guide to Part X, a guide to tracking and submitting annual statistics to the IPC and reporting privacy breaches to the IPC.