Outcomes 4, 5, 6

Ontario wants youth to:

  • Have families and guardians equipped to help them thrive
  • Have at least one consistent, caring adult in their lives
  • Form and maintain healthy, close relationships

Youth benefit when they have supportive families, mentors and friends in their lives that care about them, encourage them and believe in them. For some families, however, providing the basic necessities is hard. These families may require additional services and support. Strategies that work towards reducing poverty and increasing affordable housing have positive and real impacts on children and youth. Addressing child and youth poverty is often achieved by addressing family poverty.

This year, Ontario continued to make investments in strategies and services that help build strong, supportive friends and families, including:

  • Poverty Reduction Strategy
  • Long-Term Affordable Housing Strategy
  • Family Justice Services
  • Licensed child and youth residential services
  • Child protection services
  • Permanency and adoption
  • Youth Leaving Care Strategy

Strategies and Programs Supporting Outcome

Poverty Reduction Strategy

Lead: Ministry of Community and Social Services

Ontario’s Poverty Reduction Strategy focuses on breaking the cycle of poverty for children and youth. It also aims to create a province where every person has the opportunity to achieve his or her full potential and contribute to a prosperous and healthy Ontario. The three pillars of the strategy are child poverty, financial security and homelessness. Initiatives listed here and in the Inventory of Youth Programs 2016 are not exhaustive. The initiatives listed here focus mostly on youth.

New in this report:

  • The 2015 Annual Report of the Poverty Reduction Strategy was released.
  • This year, the province integrated free dental care for eligible children and youth aged 17 and under through the new Healthy Smiles Ontario program. (Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care)
  • The government built on previous investments by increasing the general minimum wage and the minimum wage rates for students aged 18 and under. (Ministry of Labour)
  • An evaluation of On Track to Success, a program funded by the United In 2015–16, the First Nations Student Nutrition Program began funding new breakfast and lunch programs in 63 First Nations communities, and investing more than $4 million to support the Student Nutrition Program in First Nations communities. (Ministry of Children and Youth Services)
  • The Local Poverty Reduction Fund provides funding to improve the lives of those disproportionately affected by poverty, including youth. Examples of initiatives it supported in 2015–16 include:
    • Way Centraide Windsor-Essex County. This program helps students from low-income families in rural areas graduate from high school and enrol in postsecondary education by addressing financial barriers to academic success.
    • An evaluation of the effect of La Passerelle-I.D.É.’s career and skills-building programs, which support francophone newcomer/visible minority youth in Toronto.
    • The implementation and evaluation of the Student Education Attainment Program by CultureLink Settlement Services. This program is designed to reduce the high school dropout rate of Somali youth through mentorship for youth and supports to parents. The investment in this program will be made over three years.

Long-Term Affordable Housing Strategy

Lead: Ministry of Housing

Through the 2016 update to its Long-Term Affordable Housing Strategy, Ontario made investments to achieve its vision of a province where every person has an affordable, suitable and adequate home. The strategy includes a focus on ending homelessness for youth. As with poverty, addressing youth homelessness is often achieved by addressing family homelessness. The initiatives listed in this report focus mostly on helping youth.

New in this report:

Family Justice Services

Lead: Ministry of the Attorney General

The Ministry of the Attorney General provides a variety of programs and services to Ontario families facing separation and/or divorce. Information about these programs and services can be found on the ministry’s Family Justice Services web page.

New in this report:

  • An online service that allows parents with straightforward child support cases to set up and update child support without going to court was made available to families across the province.

Licensed Child and Youth Residential Services

Lead: Ministry of Children and Youth Services

Licensed child and youth residential settings include group homes, foster homes, provincially operated facilities, and youth justice open and secure custody/detention facilities.

New in this report:

  • The Ministry of Children and Youth Services set up a Residential Services Review Panel to review child and youth residential services across all sectors (e.g., mental health, child welfare, youth justice and complex special needs).

Child Protection Services

Lead: Ministry of Children and Youth Services

In Ontario, child protection services are delivered exclusively by children’s aid societies and Indigenous child well-being societies.

These societies are independent legal entities responsible for investigating reports or evidence of abuse or neglect of children under the age of 16 and, when necessary, taking steps to protect children. They also look after children who come under their care or supervision, counsel and support families, and place children for adoption.

The Child and Family Services Act (1990) is the governing legislation that guides the work of these societies, aspects of residential care for children and youth with special needs, and other services and supports for vulnerable children, youth and families. The work of these societies is also guided by the Ontario Child Protection Standards (2016) and the Ontario Child Welfare Eligibility Spectrum (2016).

New in this report:

  • The One Vision, One Voice practice framework was co-developed by the Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies and a steering committee made up of African Canadian organizations and community leaders. The goal of the framework is to provide culturally appropriate tools to help society staff and caregivers provide culturally appropriate services to African Canadian/Black children, youth and families involved with the child welfare system.
  • In June 2016, both the Ontario Child Protection Standards and the Ontario Child Welfare Eligibility Spectrum were updated. Changes were made to enhance child safety; promote best practices for providing culturally respectful services and working with families experiencing domestic violence; provide services that are customized to the unique needs of children, youth and families; and provide consistent services across the province.
  • The Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth Act, 2007 was amended as follows:
    • The Provincial Advocate was given new authority to conduct investigations into matters about a child or group of children involved in a society service, or a service provided by a licensee where the society is the placing agency. These changes took effect on March 1, 2016.
    • All child and youth service providers are now required to notify the Provincial Advocate of a child’s death or an event of serious bodily harm, if that child or the child’s family has sought or received services from a society within 12 months of the child’s death or the event of serious bodily harm. These changes took effect on June 10, 2016.

Permanency and Adoption

Lead: Ministry of Children and Youth Services

Through permanency and adoption, Ontarians are supported to build their families and improve outcomes and stability for children and youth in the care of children’s aid societies and Indigenous child well-being societies.

New in this report:

  • The Targeted Subsidies for Adoption and Legal Custody policy has been revised to extend the age of eligibility for subsidies for children and youth: it was aged 10 to 18, but is now aged 8 to 21. The income threshold and subsidy amount have also been updated to reflect more recent data and society foster care per diem rates.
  • The province began providing one-time financial assistance of up to $5,000 per child who is subject to a customary care agreement. The goal of this support is to help caregivers with the initial costs of accommodating a child in their home and to help children remain connected to their communities, cultures and traditions.
  • Ontario has invested in a provincewide post-adoption family support program to help adoptive parents respond to the challenges they face after an adoption has been completed.
  • Funding for caregivers (e.g., foster parents) has been extended through the Stay Home for School policy to provide residential stability to youth aged 18 to 21 who need additional time to complete high school.

Youth Leaving Care Strategy

Lead: Ministry of Children and Youth Services

The Youth Leaving Care Strategy provides supports and resources for youth in and leaving the care of a children’s aid society or Indigenous child well-being society.

New in this report:

  • Mentorship resources were developed for use by societies and their community partners to identify best practices for mentoring children and youth in and leaving care.
  • Adopted Crown wards became eligible for the Aftercare Benefits Initiative (i.e., health and dental services, extended health services, and additional benefits including therapy and counselling). Before, it was only available to youth aged 18 to 24 who were eligible for Continued Care and Support for Youth.
  • Ontario expanded the eligibility criteria for the Living and Learning Grant to include former Crown wards aged 18 to 24 who were adopted on or after August 1, 2013. This change supports youth to participate in postsecondary education and successfully transition to adulthood.

What the Data Says

  • Research demonstrates that untreated oral health problems can affect a child’s ability to eat, sleep and concentrate in school, which can impact growth and developmentfootnote 8.
  • In 2015–16, 1,029 youth accessed benefits (e.g., prescription drugs, dental care, and vision care). As well, 149 youth accessed Employee Assistance Program (EAP)–type assistance through the Aftercare Benefits Initiative.
  • In July 2016, the Ontario Child Benefit Equivalent was raised to a maximum of $1,310 per child and youth, an increase of more than $100 from 2014–15 (Ministry of Children and Youth Services)

Data from the Profile of Youth Wellbeing

  • 6.3% of families live in deep poverty and are struggling to afford housing.
  • 91.5% of youth have at least one parent who usually knows where they are.

Case Study

Black Women in Motion

Black Women in Motion helps young women reach their personal and professional goals.

Black Women in Motion (BWIM) is a grassroots, youth-led initiative that seeks to inspire and empower young women and girls. Through programs and workshops, BWIM supports young women’s intellectual, emotional and physical well-being. Programs help young women achieve their personal and professional goals. They also give them the skills they need to become role models, mentors and leaders in their communities.

In 2016, BWIM received support from the Laidlaw Foundation and the Youth Opportunities Fund (YOF). The YOF funding supported a team of local Toronto youth assemble to organize and execute the annual This Means WARR: Weekend of Action Against Rape Culture conference. The two-day event focuses on increasing dialogue on cultural attitudes towards rape. Through interactive panel discussions, workshops and activities, participants learn about what rape culture is, and how to recognize and take action against it.

I am extremely grateful to be a part of a program like this. I feel that with this new knowledge, I have the power to change the attitudes that individuals have regarding consent and rape culture—even if it’s just one person’s.

Participant, Black Women in Motion

Footnotes