Component: Child welfare - community and prevention supports

Legislation: Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017 (CYFSA)

Service objectives

To provide community services to children and families involved with, or at risk of being involved with the child protection system to improve outcomes and to prevent children and youth from entering or re-entering care.

Service description

The transfer payment recipient will use funds for initiatives that serve the following five groups of child welfare clients.

At risk communities: children, youth and families who are at demonstrated risk of coming to the attention of a children’s aid society (society). For example, known risk factors for involvement with the child welfare sector are: domestic violence, few social supports, mental health challenges, and substance use/abuse. These may be groups of clients and/or geographically defined communities where there is a documented increased risk of them experiencing abuse or neglect.

Referred clients: children, youth and families who have been referred or otherwise have come to the attention of a society but have been assessed through the use of standard child welfare eligibility and risk assessment tools as not requiring child welfare intervention at the time.

Child welfare clients requiring/receiving service: Children, youth and families who have come to the attention of a society and have been assessed by the society as requiring a child welfare intervention through the use of child welfare eligibility and risk assessment tools. This client group also includes children, youth and families receiving ongoing protection services from a society, including those receiving kinship service and children in customary care placements, but excludes children in care.

Children in care: Children and youth in interim society care and extended society care and those with other legal status children may be receiving residential services including in group or family-based care; the latter includes foster care, kinship care and custody (guardianship) arrangements.

Child welfare children and youth transitioning from care: Children and youth in transition from child welfare services, including youth on continued care and support for youth, those returning home, as well as those moving on to adoption or other permanent living arrangements.

Program/service features

  • The program/services contracted by the ministry will reflect the following features. The services provided will reflect the following principles
  • Services will support improved safety, well-being and permanence of children at risk of experiencing or who have experienced abuse or neglect by increasing their access and that of their families to needed, effective services in related sectors
  • Services will reflect an outcome focus and maintain a strong emphasis on child safety, while building on family and community strengths, encouraging prevention and early intervention, and\or achieving continuity of care and relationships for children and youth
  • Services will be evidence-based, promote positive systemic changes, and reflect collaboration and partnerships
  • Service prioritization will be based on an understanding of existing community capacity, a context of needs and initiatives across multiple sectors, and evidence of what services are most appropriate and effective locally

Program goals

  • Reduce, where appropriate, the intensity of children, youth and families’ involvement in the child welfare system
  • Provide more equitable access to community services for children and families; and
  • Enhance linkages between societies and community programs

Ministry expectations

The community services provided will

  • Help reduce the likelihood of future need for society involvement where possible; and
  • Improve outcomes for children and youth at risk who have been determined by children’s aid societies to be in need of protection (e.g. safety, permanency, and well-being)

Reporting requirements

  • the policy framework requires the use of community capacity plans that contain references to research or experience supporting the efficacy of the initiatives funded through the CCB initiative this information will be reported to the ministry through the regular transfer payment business cycle
  • the transfer payment recipient will provide statistical and/or qualitative data requested by the ministry relating to service performance measurement, and, as requested, participate in program and service evaluation initiatives established by the ministry
  • those targets that measure services, supports or referrals provided by a community transfer payment recipient are to be included along with the approved funding, in the annual service contracts with the providers
  • actual results achieved per target are to be reported on distinctly by the providers through the regular business cycle reporting process

The following service data will be reported on at an Interim and Final stage. Please refer to your final agreement for report back due dates and targets.

Service Data Name Definition

Community capacity building: Ministry-funded agency expenditures

Total ministry-funded expenses for the transfer payment recipient to administer and/or deliver this service in the reporting year (cumulative).

# of children served: CAS referrals

Of the families referred by CASs who received services in the fiscal year, number of children who were served in those families.

# of families served: CAS referrals: Community capacity building

Of the CAS referrals in the fiscal year, number of families who received services in the fiscal year.

# of families referred to agency: Community capacity building

Number of families referred to the agency in the fiscal year from all sources.

# of families referred by CAS: Community capacity building

All referrals to the agency in the fiscal year made by CASs.