The Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services is deeply diving into the operations of children’s aid societies.
It is announcing a review of agencies that will examine all aspects of operations.
Indigenous-run children’s aid agencies are exempt from the review.
The review comes as the Ministry notes funding has increased by 9% in the past decade while the caseload has dropped 49% over the same period.
“Funding in the child welfare system has consistently increased, and rules have been strengthened through legislation; however, we continue to see children falling through the cracks,” states Michael Parsa, Minister of Children, Community and Social Services.
“This year alone, we have raised funding to historic levels, reaching an unprecedented $1.7 billion, while the number of children and youth in care has declined by 30 percent over the last ten years. We know more needs to be done to ensure that every dollar is spent effectively on supporting these children and youth.”
Ministry officials say there will be nine areas of focus in the review.
This includes looking to see if agencies are meeting provincial standards.
Service delivery, staffing and finances are other areas to get attention.
The Ministry says the review will provide it with a picture of the current state of the Ontario child welfare system and identify strategies for agencies facing financial challenges.
Several agencies have reported running large deficits in recent years.
