Adoption and Permanency Education Month takes place in November, and it is an opportunity to reflect on permanency for Ontario children, youth, families, and communities, as well as trends in child welfare.
The primary goal of child welfare agencies is to promote safety for children and youth in their families and communities. When it is not possible for children and youth to stay with their primary caregivers, child welfare agencies look to their families and communities for planning and placement options. Collaborative planning that engages and reflects the voices of children, youth, families, and communities is essential. Young people’s identity, their sense of belonging, and their overall well-being and best outcomes are supported through continuity of connections. Permanency is not only about the type of placement or legal order, but about the connections and relationships that sustain and support children and youth throughout their lives.
Child welfare agencies across the province are facing increasing challenges in arranging out-of-home care placements and permanency options for some children and youth, especially those with complex needs, as a result of persisting systemic gaps and barriers. This past year, the sector has seen an increase in group care placements for the first time in five years. It is important to note that these numbers also include unlicensed placements, such as hotels, motels, offices, and trailers. Click here to learn more about this complex issue and here for a more complete picture of Ontario’s out-of-home placement data and sector trends.
Despite the recent challenges, over the last five years, child welfare data on out-of-home care shows:
- The proportion of children and youth in out-of-home care living with people they know (kinship service, customary care, and kinship care) increased from 36% to 45%.
- The number of children and youth in foster care decreased by 38%.
- The number of adoptions and legal custody agreements steadily decreased over 5 years.[i]
These trends fit with the goal of child welfare redesign, improved focus on family search and engagement and kinship, the child welfare sector’s 9 Reconciliation Commitments, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action, legislative obligations including An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families, and One Vision One Voice Race Equity Practices. Ontario strives for culturally informed permanency planning that centres identities from the onset, and considers history and the impacts of colonialism, systemic bias, and racism.
While the overall number of Ontario adoptions is decreasing, some children and youth involved with child welfare agencies continue to be adopted by kin or others they know, or when those options are not available, through a matching process with adoptive applicants. Ontario is recruiting caregivers and adoptive parents who reflect the diverse needs and identities of children and youth, including race, ethnicity, language, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. Children and youth who require a matching process are often older, part of a sibling group, have experienced trauma, and may have complex needs. Adoptive parents facilitate ongoing connections with primary families and communities through openness, which is crucial for achieving permanency.
To learn more about the adoption process in Ontario, or to find education and connection opportunities, visit the Adoption Council of Ontario and Interwoven Connections.
[i] Data from the Q4 2023-24 Child Welfare Transfer Payment Supplementary Report of 38 non-Indigenous child welfare agencies. Please note: This data does not include data from Indigenous Child and Family Well-Being Agencies as there are no OCAP principle agreements in place. It should be noted however, that aggregate results from non-Indigenous agencies does include FNIM children and youth, as mandated by MCCSS agreements.
