Ontario’s Children’s Aid Societies performance indicators - Permanency
Overview
In cases where a child or youth cannot remain safely in their home because of protection concerns, the child or youth may be placed in the care of a children's aid society (society). If a child cannot eventually return to their family, the society works to find a permanent, safe home for the child, ideally in a family setting.
Societies report on two permanency performance indicators:
- The percentage of days of care, by placement type
- The time to get a permanent home placement
Importance of these indicators
Research shows that outcomes for children in care are improved when they grow up in stable, healthy, family-based settings. The majority of children who require out-of-home care are living in family-based placements.
The majority of children leave care and move to a permanent caregiving arrangement within a year. This can include kinship service, customary care, legal custody or adoption. Permanency promotes healthy development, encourages continuity in relationships and a sense of community and identity. It is a key focus of modernizing the child welfare system.
Learn more about the ministry's Ontario Permanency Funding Policy Guidelines.
Children and youth in customary care arrangements supervised by a society are not included in this data. Customary care is a culturally appropriate placement option for First Nations, Inuit and Métis children and youth in need of protection who cannot safely remain at home. In customary care arrangements children and youth remain connected to their communities, cultures and traditions by being placed with a person who is not the child's/youth's parent but according to the custom of the child's bands or First Nation, Inuit, or Métis communities.
The results of these indicators are based on data from 39 societies (for the days of care) and up to 38 societies (for the time to permanency) in 2019-20.
The percentage of days of care, by placement type
This performance indicator measures the number of days children are in the care of a children's aid society in a fiscal year by placement type.
In 2019-2020, the data below shows that 80 per cent of children/youth in care spent the time in family-based settings, which could include placement with family members, with a foster family or with a prospective adoptive family before the adoption is finalized.
| Year | Family-based | Group care | Other |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-11 | 77% | 15% | 8% |
| 2011-12 | 77% | 15% | 8% |
| 2012-13 | 78% | 14% | 8% |
| 2013-14 | 79% | 13% | 8% |
| 2014-15 | 80% | 12% | 8% |
| 2015-16 | 80% | 12% | 9% |
| 2016-17 | 79% | 12% | 9% |
| 2017-18 | 82% | 10% | 8% |
| 2018-19 | 81% | 9% | 10% |
| 2019-20 | 80% | 9% | 11% |
*Please note that percentages are rounded and may not add up to 100 per cent.
Group care is when a child or youth is cared for in a children's residence, also known as a group home. The “other” category includes youth who are in care but living independently. It also includes children and youth cared for in settings such as hospitals, children's mental health centres or youth justice facilities.
In selecting a placement for a child/youth, a society must take into account the child's/youth's best interests. The society must choose a residential placement for the child/youth that represents the least restrictive alternative, and that respects the child's/youth's particular and diverse needs, including the child's cultural and linguistic heritage, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, the child's wishes and views, and the wishes and the views of any parent that has access to the child. In the case of First Nations, Inuk or Métis children/youth the placement should be with extended family or community, where possible.
The time to get a permanent home placement
This performance indicator measures the time it takes for children and youth in care to leave care. Currently, a child/youth leaves care when a permanency plan is in place or when they are ready to move to adulthood. There was a moratorium on aging out of care until March 31, 2023 while a new process of readiness – the Ready, Set, Go Program – was being developed. Permanent living arrangements include reunification with a parent or guardian, kinship service, legal custody or adoption.
| Year | By 12 months | By 24 months | By 36 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-11 | 61% | 76% | 85% |
| 2011-12 | 63% | 77% | 86% |
| 2012-13 | 64% | 78% | 86% |
| 2013-14 | 62% | 78% | 85% |
| 2014-15 | 64% | 76% | 84% |
| 2015-16 | 61% | 75% | 84% |
| 2016-17 | 62% | 76% | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 67% | 76% | 81% |
| 2018-19 | 65% | 75% | N/A |
| 2019-20 | 68% | N/A | N/A |
The data shows that among children/youth who came into the care of a society in 2019-20, 68 per cent left care within 12 months and in many cases moved on to a permanent arrangement - usually they were reunited with their family.
The time it takes for a society to find a permanent arrangement for a child/youth varies based on a number of factors, including the child's particular needs.
It should be noted that not all exits from care represent permanency achieved; however, this measure is considered a good proxy for permanency. Examples of exits that are not related to permanency arrangements but are nonetheless captured in this measure include: exit from care into independent living without entering into a Ready, Set, Go agreement; and transfers to another society or jurisdiction.
Performance indicators by individual society
The percentage of days of care, by placement type
This information shows ten years of data on the percentage of days of care, by placement type, by individual society.
The time to get a permanent home placement
This information shows ten years of data on the percentage of children/youth who leave care from the time of admission, by individual society. The data shows that the majority of children/youth that come into the care of a society leave care within 12 months and move onto a permanent arrangement.
The time it takes for a society to find a permanent arrangement for a child/youth varies based on a number of factors, including the child's particular needs.
Sufficient time has not yet elapsed for results to be available for the following: the percentage of children/youth who left care by 36 months from the time of admission for children admitted into care in 2018-19, and the percentage of children who left care by 24 to 36 months respectively from the time of admission for children admitted into care in 2019-20.
It should be noted that not all exits from care represent permanent home placements, including exit from care into independent living without entering into a Ready, Set, Go agreement and transfers to another society or jurisdiction.
For this indicator, there is a data gap for societies in the two years following their transition from their legacy case management system to the Child Protection Information Network (CPIN).
Footnotes
- footnote[1] Back to paragraph Data not available
- footnote[2] Back to paragraph Data currently not available