Reports, Cases and Submissions

The Office of the Children’s Lawyer contacted us on behalf of a 17-year-old who was trying to get the cost of braces for her teeth covered by her children’s aid society (CAS).

Issue: Children’s aid society; Voluntary Youth Services Agreement; Rights (Good care)

After he suffered a traumatic brain injury, an eight-year-old boy in the care of a northern children’s aid society (CAS) was airlifted from his home community to a rehabilitation hospital in southern Ontario.

Issue: Children’s aid society

Investigation into the adequacy of measures undertaken by Johnson Children’s Services Inc., Anishinaabe Abinoojii Family Services, and a Southwestern Ontario children’s aid society to ensure the safety of “Misty”

A youth in care who was turning 18 called our Children and Youth Unit for help when plans fell through for her to enter a transitional housing program and complete her final semester of high school.

Issue: Children’s aid society; Rights (Good care)

Investigation into the Children’s Aid Society of Toronto’s response to child protection concerns involving “Brandon” between December 31, 2015 and October 26, 2018

A 13-year-old in the care of a children’s aid society (CAS) contacted us when he didn’t hear back from his CAS about making arrangements to see his mother.
 

Issue: Children’s aid society; Rights (access visits)

A 16-year-old complained that staff at his group home weren’t helpful to him after his personal belongings, including a laptop, were stolen or damaged by other youths living in the home.

Issue: Group home

A concerned adult contacted our Office on behalf of a youth who was denied a Voluntary Youth Services Agreement (VYSA) by a children’s aid society (CAS). VYSAs are available to 16- and 17-year-olds who have left home because of concerns about their safety, and who are in need of child protection services.

Issue: Children’s aid society, Voluntary Youth Services Agreement (VYSA)

A 14-year-old youth needed our help getting identification documents to register for school and access health care, after he was removed from his home by a children’s aid society (CAS) over safety concerns.

Issue: Children’s aid society; Rights (Get help)

Investigation into the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services’ implementation of the decision to close custody and detention programs at Creighton Youth Centre and J.J. Kelso Youth Centre.

A youth sought our help with retrieving belongings she had left behind at her family home after experiencing physical abuse at the hands of her stepfather.

A 16-year-old complained to us that her children’s aid society (CAS) had refused to allow her to enter into a Voluntary Youth Services Agreement (VYSA) after she had left her home due to the abusive behaviour of her aunt.

Issue: Children’s aid society; Voluntary Youth Services Agreement (VYSA)

A youth in care sought our help in filing a complaint about staff at her residential placement.

Issue: Rights (making a complaint)

A mother complained to our Office that her son’s school didn’t notify the local children’s aid society (CAS) about allegations he made to his teacher that his grandmother had hurt him.

Issue: Children’s aid society; duty to report

A 14-year-old in care told us her worker was insisting that she go to school in person, even though her preference was to continue to attend school online.

Issue: Rights (education)

After a youth living in a treatment home complained that his request for a service dog was refused, we followed up with his CAS worker.

Issue: Rights (appropriate services)

A 13-year-old in a group home complained that staff were forcing him to talk to them and share his feelings, rather than respecting his privacy.

Issue: Rights (reasonable privacy)

A Black 16-year-old complained that her CAS worker was dismissive of her requests for hair and skin products that met her cultural needs, making her feel like she was being treated differently because of her race.

Issue: Children’s aid society; Rights (culture and identity)

A youth revealed to us that her concerns about being physically restrained at her group home were not being heard.

Issue: Physical restraints

Our Office checked on a youth after we heard she was hurt when her group home staff physically restrained her self-injurious behaviour.

Issue: Physical restraints

Our staff reached out to a youth after we learned that he had his arm broken while being restrained by staff at his group home.

Issue: Police involvement; physical restraints; Rights (disability)

Our Office made inquiries when we learned that a children’s aid society (CAS) asked the police to bring back a youth who had left her foster home without permission to return to her family home.

Issue: Children’s aid society; police involvement

A whistleblower came to us with several disturbing allegations about a group home serving children and youth who are medically fragile or have other vulnerabilities.

Issue: Whistleblower; quality of care – group home

A woman who had been granted full custody of her niece – with the support of a children’s aid society (CAS) – contacted us after waiting four months for a certified copy of the original court order, which she needed in order to apply for a health card and other important items for the girl.

Issue: Children’s aid society

A woman sought our help after her two foster children disclosed to her that their former foster parent had been physically and verbally abusive toward them.

Issue: Children’s aid society; safety concerns in foster care

After her second suicide attempt, a 15-year-old girl contacted us from the hospital.

Issue: Children’s aid society; Rights (safety)

A 16-year-old youth complained to us that staff at his group home threatened to lock the refrigerator after he helped himself to food at night when he was hungry.

Issue: Group home; Rights (access to food)

A woman worried about the health and safety of a young relative complained to us that the local children’s aid society (CAS) had done “nothing” in response to her concerns.

Issue: Children’s aid society; safety concerns

A 16-year-old who has a developmental disability and lives in a group home contacted us to raise questions about his rights.

Issue: Group home; Rights (making a complaint)

A 13-year-old racialized youth complained to us after her children’s aid society (CAS) called the police to transport her to a new group home – which they did by handcuffing her and placing her in the back of a police vehicle.

Issue: Children’s aid society; police involvement

A 16-year-old youth living in a group home complained to our Office that staff at the home were not allowing him to contact certain members of his family because his mother – his legal guardian – did not want him speaking to them.

Issue: Rights (contacting family)

A 15-year-old emailed us that she was being physically and verbally abused by her mother, and had started to self-harm and even attempted suicide as a result.

Issue: Children’s aid society; safety concerns

A 16-year-old living in a foster home sought our help when she was invited to spend the night at a friend’s house, but her foster care agency denied her request, citing COVID-19 restrictions.

Issue: Rights (fairness)

An 11-year-old told us she felt unsafe in her group home after another resident threatened her with a knife.

Issue: Safety concerns; group home

A young person who was serving a youth sentence at an adult correctional facility complained to us that he was not being provided CAS access to services required by his court-ordered plan.

Issue: Rights (education)

A Black youth living in a rural group home with little access to public transit complained to us that staff would not drive him to get a haircut.

Issue: Rights (culture and identity)

The mother of a teenager with developmental disability complained to us about an incident involving her daughter at a group home.

Issue: Group home; safety concerns

A mother called our Children and Youth Unit after her local children’s aid society told her it would not review her complaint due to a lack of information.

Issue: Children’s aid society; complaint process

A 16-year-old youth in care of a children’s aid society felt that her needs were not being met since she had a change in caseworkers.

Issue: Children’s aid society; Voluntary Youth Services Agreement (VYSA)

When a woman complained to us about how she and her family were treated by a children’s aid society, we first advised her to contact her caseworker and raise the issue through the society’s internal process.

Issue: Children’s aid society; complaint process

Unhappy with his placement at a foster home, a 17-year-old asked his children’s aid society caseworker for a placement change, only to be told the home he was staying in was best for him.

Issue: Children’s aid society; Rights (placement)

A 16-year-old girl living in a group home told us she had asked her children’s aid society worker to initiate a review of her placement because she felt unsafe, but the caseworker didn't follow up with her.

Issue: Children’s aid society; safety concerns; Rights (placement)

A pregnant youth called us for help when she went for an ultrasound and was told her health card was cancelled.

Issue: Rights (healthcare)

A young person in a treatment group home called us, saying she felt like she had no one to talk to.

Issue: Rights (fairness)

A 15-year-old who had been in a group home for three years sought our help in moving into a foster home where he could become more independent.

Issue: Children’s aid society; Rights (placement)