Ontario launches review of children's aid societies after Ford criticism

Ontario has launched a review of the province's 37 non-Indigenous children's aid societies after Premier Doug Ford suggested they are being financially mismanaged, but the unions representing CAS workers say it is a mere "smokescreen."

Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services officials say the review will look at issues such as the quality of protection they provide and their finances. As part of a background briefing Wednesday, they provided graphs that show annual funding for the sector steadily increased over the past decade to $1.7 billion this year, even as the number of children in care declined.

Ford indicated last week that his government was doing an audit, as he railed against "nightmare stories about the abuse of taxpayers' money." Officials said the process to look for an outside contractor to conduct the review was starting on Wednesday.

"I've heard stories of some of these agencies, they're working in Taj Mahals, they're paying rent, $100,000 for rent, that the managers are giving themselves a bonus," Ford saidin response to a question aboutToronto Star reportingshowing a lack of beds for children with complex needs.

"All those managers giving yourself a bonus, not worrying about the kids, I'm coming for you. We're doing a complete audit, and if we see funds not being spent properly on the kids, guess what? You're looking for another job."

WATCH |Why some children in care are staying in hotels:

Why some children in care are staying in hotels

12 months ago

Duration 2:30

Derrick Drouillard, executive director of the Windsor-Essex Children's Aid Society, speaks with CBC Windsor Morning host Amy Dodge about how some children with high needs end up in the care of CAS and living in hotels because of the lack of resources for families.

Cases becoming more complex: association

The Ontario Association of Children's Aid Societies said it was disappointed Ford did not address the question of what the government was doing about reports of children's aid societies housing kids in hotels or offices because placements weren't available.

There are systemic barriers to providing services for kids with complex needs, the association wrote in a statement following Ford's news conference.

"This type of work is intensive, demanding significant time and resources," the group wrote.

This type of work is intensive, demanding significant time and resources.- Ontario Association of Children's Aid Societies

"Additionally, the types of cases child welfare agencies encounter are becoming more and more complex. In a recent survey, 39 child welfare agencies reported that the number of children or youth requiring high-cost care (i.e., over $200,000 per year) has seen a significant increase over the past three years, doubling from 174 in 2021-2022 to 354 in 2023-2024."

Ministry officials who provided the background briefing on the review said societies' deficits are continuing to rise and the audit will examine the underlying issues and possible solutions.

The officials, who spoke on the condition they not be identified, said the review will focus on service quality, consistency of services, out-of-home placements, finances, executive compensation, staffing models, cost structures, capital assets and integration with community supports.

LISTEN |Food proves to be a connector while growing up in Toronto's child welfare system:

Here and Now Toronto7:57Food proves to be a connector while growing up in Toronto's Child Welfare System

For young people who grew up in this country's Child Welfare System, food is more than just nourishment. Today, a free electronic cookbook shares personal recipes and stories from nine young people who have gone through the child welfare system here in Canada. Scarborough's Jada Kinnaird is one of them. And Nadia Formigoni is with the Children's Aid Foundation. They both were in our studio.

Review part ofother improvement efforts: minister

There are currently 11,600 children and youth in care in Ontario, according to a presentation deck detailing the review. The average number of children in care hasdecreased by30 per cent over the past 10 years.

Meanwhile, annual funding for the 37 non-Indigenous societies has increased by $129 million since 2013 to $1.3 billion this year, the slide shows.

Minister Michael Parsa said the review is part of otherongoing efforts to try to improve the child welfare system.

"We'll see unprecedented funding, and then we'll see (cases) where a youth was placed in a home that failed a fire safety requirement, one that their food was restricted, and as a result they were injured after being restrained. Or in some cases, where funding is being used for unrelated programming, straining the budget of the agencies," Parsa said in an interview.

"This is all part of the process to make sure that their supports and the funding and the investments that are being made are utilized accordingly, appropriately."

Unions, opposition say review insufficient

Ontario began an overhaul of the child welfare system four years ago, with a focus on keeping more families together and strengthening prevention and early intervention supports, but the unions representing CAS workers said there is little to show for it.

"It's clear the announced audit is another smokescreen to distract from the government's abject failure to support children and families while opening the door for more privatization in the sector," the Ontario Public Service Employees Union and CUPE Ontario said in a joint statement.

OPSEU president JP Hornicksaid in a separate statement that an audit is not "meaningful action," but a "desperate play to avert our gaze" from the fact that children's aid is under-resourced.

"Allowing the government to represent systemic failures as the individual responsibility of agencies or workers is not just irresponsible, it's dangerous. It brings us no closer to solving the issue spurred by government underspending and political agendas negligent to children's welfare and it gambles with children's futures and lives," said Hornick, whose union represents3,400 child protection workers across13 children's Aid Society agenciesacross Ontario.

CUPE Ontario President Fred Hahn said the government is ignoring therecommendations of experts and advocates. CUPE represents5,000 child protection workers at 27 children's aid societies.

"I'd love if we knew how many had been implemented, but that data doesn't exist. The Office of the Child Advocate had a database to track it but that office was closed by this thin-skinned government that prefers to operate free from scrutiny," Hahn said in a statement.

NDPMPPMonique Taylor (Hamilton Mountain) blamed the Ford government for the "mess they have created" in children's aid societies across the province.

"We need investments, not distractions," Taylor said in a statement. "Ford's 'review' does nothing about decades of government underfunding, it does nothing about the crisis brewing in the system, it is simply an abdication of responsibility from a government that is choosing to look away from the crisis."

Taylor said children and youth in care can't wait until a report comes out in 2025, adding "proactive front-loaded funding" is required to protect them.