Social Work with Children and Youth

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• 6.
• Social Work with Children and Youth

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Child Welfare Activities

• Family support and prevention
• Child protection
• Child placement
• Adoption
• Foster care

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Child Welfare Legislation

• Each province and territory has different
  agencies and legislation.
• Services provided by government agencies or
  non-profit private agencies.
• First Nations child welfare provided by either
  government agencies or First Nations agencies ad
  negotiated.

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Ontario Childrens Aids Societies (CAS)

• Local CAS as legislated under the Child and
  Family Services Act (1984) provide child
  protection and other services.
• See www.oacas.org for an overview of the over 50
  CAS agencies and a history of child welfare in
  Ontario.

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History of Child Welfare

• Pre-Industrial Child Welfare Pre- 1890
• A New Era 1890-1940
• Modern Child Welfare 1940- Present

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J.J. Kelso

• Child welfare pioneer
• Founded Toronto Humane Childrens Aid Society
  in Toronto in 1887
• Skilled organizer and child rights advocate

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Trends in Child Welfare

• Shift to risk assessment protocols
• Shift to provincial government recognition of
  responsibility and financing
• Shift from institutional and protection-orientated
  services to non-institutional and prevention
  oriented
• Shift toward legislation that emphasizes best
  interest of the child

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Dilemma of Protection

• Best interests approach emphasizes the
  protection and well-being of the child
• Least restrictive or intrusive approach
  emphasizes the least disruptive course of action
  that will leave the child in the family

Textbook author Steven Hick
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Children in Care

• The numbers of children in care have increased in
  the past decade in most provinces, especially
  those takingbest interests approach
• Overall in Canada the increase is 20 from 1990
  to 1997.

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Children in Care, 1990-97
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Types of Child Abuse

• Neglect
• Physical abuse
• Sexual abuse
• Emotional abuse
• The physical, psychological, social, emotional
  and sexual maltreatment of a child, whereby the
  survival, safety, self-esteem, growth and
  development is threatened.

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Child Welfare Services

• Initial response to report
• Investigation
• Verification
• Assessment report and service plan
• Case management

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Young Offenders

• In 2002, Parliament replaced the 1994 Youth
  Offenders Act with the Youth Criminal Justice Act
  (YCJA)
• Overall rates of youth crime decreased since
  1992, while violent youth crime rates have been
  steadily decreasing since 1995