More Support For Vulnerable Children

The Harris government is investing an additional $123 million to protect children from abuse and neglect, Community and Social Services Minister and Minister Responsible for Children John Baird announced today. This funding increase brings total spending in this area to over $772 million a year - an increase of more than 100 percent over five years.

The new funding, which will be distributed to the province's 53 Children's Aid Societies, follows a $114 million increase in annual funding announced in last May's provincial budget. The money allocated to each Children's Aid Society is determined by the number of children being served in the community.

"Ensuring the safety and well being of vulnerable children in need of protection is a priority of our government," said Baird. "It's our goal to help every child get a good start in life - to help every child realize their full potential."

The new funding will help children's aid societies respond to increased service demands resulting from greater public awareness of child abuse and neglect, and the strengthening of the Child and Family Services Act.

"Children's Aid Societies face difficult challenges day in and day out and this additional funding will help us better protect the children we serve," said Jeanette Lewis, Executive Director of the Ontario Association of Children's Aid Societies.

Today's announcement is the latest in a series of measures taken by the Harris government to improve the child protection system. In an event at Queen's Park, Baird used the word "SAFE" as an acronym to highlight these measures. They include:

Better Service: The introduction of improved standards, common assessment tools and a computer information database means better service to vulnerable children.

Increased Accountability: Steps have been taken to monitor the implementation of new initiatives and ensure better outcomes for children.

Improved Funding: A new way of funding children's aid societies has been introduced that better reflects workload and service needs, and additional funding has been provided to hire more front-line staff and increase rates for foster parents.

Enhanced Education: Improved training programs have been developed for children's aid society boards and staff, foster parents and ministry staff.

"Our child welfare reforms have led to significant improvements in all key areas of child protection," said Baird. "And we will continue to improve the system so that vulnerable children are protected from abuse and neglect."

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