Children's Aid Societies are required to apply the Ontario Kinship Service Standards, Issued November 30, 2006 in service delivery as of December 31, 2006.
For completion by December 31, 2006, Children's Aid Society (CAS's) will be required to develop a plan to:
Societies to report their plan for full implementation of Kinship Service Standards through (Q4) of the Multi Year Results Based Plan submitted to regional offices.
This policy directive will come into effect on December 31, 2006.
One of the major initiatives of the child welfare transformation has been the development of a permanency planning strategy for Ontario. This strategy, as conceptualized in the Pillars of Permanence, introduces an expanded range of family based care options for children including: admission prevention, kinship service for children not in a society's formal care; kinship care for children in the society's formal care, customary care; foster care; adoption; and youth leaving care.
On February 6, 2006 an Ontario Regulation 206/00, Part II – Family and Community Placement came into effect and set out requirements for the assessment of kin proposing to care for a child receiving child protection services where the child will not be in the formal care of a Children's Aid Society. The purpose of the regulation was to establish consistent best practices in Children's Aid Societies. The Kinship Service Standards reflect and support the intent of the Regulation.
The Kinship Service Standards also set out the minimum level of service for child welfare practitioners and supervisors in children's aid societies for the provision of onqoing kinship service.
Each standard includes the same following five sections:
The Kinship Service Standards include service and documentation requirements in the following areas:
This policy directive has been developed through a comprehensive review of legislation, policies and practices from other jurisdictions and within Ontario. The Ministry has consulted extensively with stakeholder groups that include Children's Aid Societies, Ontario Association of Children's Aid Societies, the Association of Native Child and Family Services of Ontario, the Foster Parent Association of Ontario, the Office of the Family and Children's Advocate, and the Ontario Association of Residences Treating Youth. The Ministry appreciates the support and expertise provided by the Child Welfare Secretariat's Permanency Reference Group and Kinship Working Group. The Ministry of Children and Youth Services also co-facilitated a provincial Kinship Service Symposium in April 2006 and incorporated learning from that symposium into the standards.
Orientation/training sessions on Bill 210, child welfare transformation including the kinship service policy is being held for Children's Aid Societies, Transformation Leads, and Ministry staff between October and December 2006.
Issuance of Policy Directive: November 30, 2006
Original signed by:
Trinela Cane
Assistant Deputy Minister
Policy Development and Program Design Division
Ministry of Children and Youth Services
Alexander Bezzina
Assistant Deputy Minister
Program Management Division
Ministry of Children and Youth Services
Ministry of Community and Social Services