The primary goal of Children’s Aid Societies (CASs) is to support children to live safely with their family of origin. When that is not possible, CASs look for another family to provide safety, security, and support. This can be temporary while the parents are working to address the circumstances preventing the child from living at home. It can also be longer term, requiring the young person to come into care until other lifelong connections can be found.
Child welfare is increasingly turning to kin families for children and youth who need an outside placement while their caregivers address their challenges. Last year an average of 29% of children needing out of home placements lived with kinship families. Kin providers can be other family members or they can be individuals who are familiar to the child, youth, or parent and can provide a safe, nurturing home. Kinship families permit children and youth to remain connected with their family, extended family, heritage, culture, and traditions. This helps build a sense of belonging, safety, and security for children.
What is kinship service?
Kin are individuals who have a relationship with a child or youth and may include biologically related kin or individuals without a biological connection but with a significant social connection. Examples include a stepparent, godparent, friend, teacher, coach and neighbour.
Kinship service occurs when a child or youth is placed in the home of an approved kin but the child does not have “in-care” status.
Learn about Annabelle’s experience with kinship service through Family and Children’s Services of Lanark, Leeds and Grenville.
What are the benefits of kinship service?
Kinship service permits the child to remain connected with their family, extended family, heritage, culture, and traditions. This helps build a sense of belonging, safety, and security for children.
There is considerable support in the literature and in the policy of other jurisdictions for increasing the focus on kin as a placement option for children and youth who require out-of-home placements.
How is kinship service different from kinship care?
Both kinship service and kinship care are programs that allow children and youth to be placed in the care of people they know, usually members of their extended family or community support group. The decision to pursue a kinship service rather than kinship care placement is typically driven by the protection needs of the child. The key difference between these two programs is that a child or youth cared for by a kinship service caregiver is not deemed to be in the care of the CAS. A kinship service family participates in a screening assessment that explores the family’s ability to meet the safety and well-being needs of the child. A kinship service family is eligible for financial support from various Ontario government support programs. A kinship care provider is a caregiver who like a licensed foster caregiver is required to attend a provincially mandated pre-service training program and participate in a home study. Kinship care families receive the same financial and emotional support from a CAS as foster families.
How does kinship service work?
Child welfare agencies thoroughly screen and assess prospective extended family or community caregivers to evaluate the capacity of the family or community member to care for the child in a safe home environment. Assessment includes completing criminal record and child welfare records checks on any person over the age of 18 living in the home, a personal interview with the proposed caregiver, a private interview with the child (depending on the child’s age and developmental capacity), and a thorough assessment of the home environment.
While child welfare agencies don’t provide ongoing financial support in kinship services situations, the extended family or community member may be eligible for Temporary Care Assistance through Ontario Works, which may include prescription drugs, dental and vision care, back-to-school and winter clothing allowance, and episodic support from the child welfare agency.
2016–2017 data on kinship service
In 2016–2017 there was a monthly average of 2,927 children in kinship service arrangements.
What is kinship care?
Kinship care refers to the day-to-day care and nurturing of children by relatives or others described as family by a child’s immediate family members for children who are in need of protection. It can include an approved family member, godparent, stepparent, familiar friend, or community member who has a blood or existing relationship with a child or youth in care.
Kinship options are always explored for children who are in need of protection prior to having a child placed in foster care or a group home. Sometimes children need to be placed in temporary foster care while the Children’s Aid Society (CAS) seeks kin.
What are the benefits of kinship care?
Kinship care permits the child to remain connected with their family, extended family, heritage, culture, and traditions. This helps build a sense of belonging, safety, and security for children.
There is considerable support in the literature and in the policy of other jurisdictions for increasing the focus on kin as a placement option for children and youth who require out-of-home placements.
Some findings about kinship care include
- Children cared for by kin are 2.2 times less likely to have a mental health issue than foster children
- Children cared for by kin are less likely to need mental health services than foster children
- Children cared for by kin are 1.9 times more likely to report positive emotional health compared to foster children
- Children cared for by kin are 2.6 times less likely to experience three or more placements than foster children
(From the Commission to Promote Sustainable Child Welfare, “Strengthening Family Based Care in a Sustainable Child Welfare System,” Final Report and Recommendations, June 29, 2012.)
How is kinship care different from kinship service?
Both kinship care and kinship service are programs that allow children and youth to be placed in the care of people they know, usually members of their extended family or community support group. The decision to pursue a kinship care placement rather than kinship service is typically driven by the protection needs of the child. The key difference between these two programs is that a child or youth cared for by a kinship service caregiver is not deemed to be in the care of Children’s Aid. A kinship service family participates in a screening assessment that explores the family’s ability to meet the safety and well-being needs of the child. A kinship service family is eligible for financial support from various Ontario government support programs. A kinship care provider is a caregiver who, like a licensed foster caregiver, is required to attend a provincially mandated pre-service training program and participate in a home study. Kinship care families receive the same financial and emotional support from a CAS as foster families.
How does kinship care work?
Kinship care options are always explored for a child in need of protection before the child is placed in foster care.
Kinship care occurs when the child or youth is officially a “child in care”. Bringing a child into the care of a society is a more intrusive measure and provides a different level of service for the child. It also requires a more intensive assessment phase and training of the kin caregiver or family.
Kinship care families receive the same financial and service supports as Children’s Aid Societies provide to foster families.
Ontario kinship care applicants must complete the following requirements to provide kinship care:
- Complete a SAFE (Structured Analysis, Family Evaluation) home study.
- Complete PRIDE (Parent Resources for Information, Development, and Education) pre-service
SAFE Home Study
SAFE (Structured Analysis, Family Evaluation) is a standardized assessment model for all Ontarians interested in expanding their family through kinship care, fostering, and adoption. A SAFE home study includes
- Application
- Home safety checklist and questionnaires
- Medical report, police and child welfare clearances, and references
A SAFE home study may only be completed by a Children’s Aid worker or a Ministry-approved practitioner. A SAFE home study can take 4–6 months to complete and is generally valid for up to 2 years.
Parent Resources for Information, Development, and Education (PRIDE) Training
PRIDE pre-service is a nine-module (27-hour) training program used to prepare and educate families interested in kinship care, fostering, and adoption. PRIDE curriculum includes information about the following:
- Adoption and child welfare systems, processes, and laws
- Attachment and loss
- Child development and issues specific to the needs of adopted children
- The effects of neglect, lack of stimulation, abuse, and institutionalization on children
- Identity formation and the importance of cultural and racial awareness
- The importance of connections and continuity for children
PRIDE pre-service training can be completed through a Children’s Aid Society at no cost or through a private PRIDE trainer for a fee. Please contact your local Children’s Aid Society to enquire about PRIDE or view a schedule of private PRIDE pre-service training sessions at https://secure.adoptontario.ca/pride.main.aspx.
Kinship Care for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit (FNMI) Children and Youth
For children and youth of Indigenous descent, kinship care can be arranged once the First Nation Band Council declares the child is being cared for under customary care.
Children’s Aid Societies are actively looking for more families to provide kinship care. The number of children needing these kinds of placements exceeds the number of families available.
2016–2017 data on kinship care
In 2016–2017 there was a monthly average of 799 children and youth in kinship care in Ontario.
Need more information?
CANGRANDS – An independent, not-for-profit organization to support kin caregiver families who raise grandchildren.
What is customary care in Ontario?
First Nation, Métis, and Inuit (FNMI) family structures differ from the typical nuclear family in Western culture. FNMI families have strong family values, are often extended, and share collective responsibility towards children. FNMI families may be related by blood, but can also be tied by clan or other social structures. This collective responsibility for raising children is known as customary care.
In 1985 customary care was recognized by Ontario’s Child, Youth and Family Services Act (CYFSA) and is recognized in the current Child, Youth, and Family Services Act (CYFSA). In child welfare, the term customary care refers to the care and supervision of a child or youth of Indigenous descent by somebody who is not the child’s parent in accordance with the custom of the child’s band or native community.
Given the effects of colonization, many Indigenous communities struggle to identify appropriate placements in their communities. Some communities have expanded the definition of customary care to include a broader variety of placements.
What are the benefits of customary care?
Customary care can help preserve a child’s heritage, cultural traditions, and cultural identity, which are essential to healthy identify formation and the development of lifelong relationships. Indigenous peoples believe that raising their children with a strong sense of community and cultural identity is key to healing the historical wounds in their communities.
Customary care within child welfare is also seen as less adversarial and more focused on building community strength. Children placed in formal customary care arrangements are not subject to the same time constraints as they would be in other forms of care. This absence of time constraints allows for children to remain connected to their parents while the parents heal.
Customary care families receive the same financial supports as Children’s Aid Societies provide to foster families.
How does customary care work?
Each FNMI community defines and practises customary care in a way that is uniquely its own and according to its traditional values, principles, and customs. Please note that not all FNMI communities practice “formal” customary care, so you will have to inquire as to the practice with each community.
Customary care is facilitated through a Formal Customary Care Agreement. Signatories to the agreement include:
- A representative of the FNMI community in which the child is registered or eligible for membership
- The child’s biological parents
- The caregivers with whom the child will reside
- A representative of the CAS that will be providing a subsidy to the caregiver
- The child, where the child is older than 12 years of age
In customary care the FNMI community’s Band Council Resolution declares that a child is to be cared for according to the customs of the First Nation either within the child’s extended family system in the child’s home community or off-reserve.
In some cases, a customary care arrangement may involve a non-Indigenous family that is deemed by the band to be capable of caring for the child according to their customs.
Caregivers must complete the following requirements to provide customary care:
- Complete a SAFE (Structured Analysis, Family Evaluation) home study.
- Complete PRIDE (Parent Resources for Information, Development and Education) pre-service.
SAFE Home Study
SAFE (Structured Analysis, Family Evaluation) is a home study methodology used for all Ontario applicants interested in expanding their family through customary care, kinship care, fostering, and adoption. A SAFE home study includes
- Application
- Home safety checklist and questionnaires
- Medical report, police and child welfare clearances, and references
A SAFE home study may only be completed by a Children’s Aid worker or a Ministry-approved practitioner. A SAFE home study can take 4–6 months to complete and is generally valid for up to 2 years.
Parent Resources for Information, Development, and Education (PRIDE) Training
PRIDE pre-service is a nine-module (27-hour) training program used to prepare and educate families interested in customary care, kinship care, fostering, and adoption. PRIDE curriculum includes information about the following:
- Adoption and child welfare systems, processes, and laws
- Attachment and loss
- Child development and issues specific to the needs of adopted children
- The effects of neglect, lack of stimulation, abuse, and institutionalization on children
- Identity formation and the importance of cultural and racial awareness
- The importance of connections and continuity for children
PRIDE pre-service training can be completed through a Children’s Aid Society at no cost or through a private PRIDE trainer for a fee. Please contact your local Children’s Aid Society to enquire about PRIDE or view a schedule of private PRIDE pre-service training sessions at https://secure.adoptontario.ca/pride.main.aspx.
2016–2017 data on customary care
In 2016–2017 there was a monthly average of 696 children and youth in customary care in Ontario.
The number of children of Indigenous descent requiring placement with alternative caregivers due to child protection concerns far exceeds the number of approved Indigenous-based alternative care homes.
As a consequence, Children’s Aid Societies often have to use non-Indigenous foster homes and group care facilities situated in non-Indigenous communities to provide foster care for children of Indigenous descent.
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Watch Sarnia Children’s Aid Society’s video on the importance of kin and to see kin family in action.
