The ability to undertake meaningful analysis of the deaths of Indigenous children and youth served by Societies is affected by limited data available to the OCC.  The coroner may not identify children and youth as Indigenous as they rely on the information available in the course of their investigation (information sources include but are not limited to family members, community service providers, the police). This affects the determination of the true number of Indigenous children and youth deaths that were investigated by the OCC in 2016 and 2017. In addition, the number of deaths of Indigenous children and youth where a Society has been involved is small, preventing meaningful statistical analysis. Furthermore, the data available from other sources has limitations (for example, Societies do not report identity or ethnicity).

The available data has been provided; however, given the noted limitations, meaningful inferences cannot be made. The OCC and PDRC – Child Welfare anticipate that with the future changes to the child and youth death review model, the quality and availability of data relating to Indigenous children and youth will be enhanced to support analyses that may inform prevention strategies targeted to Indigenous children and youth.

What does the available data tell us?

  • Provincially, of the 46 coroner investigations into deaths of Indigenous children and youth, 27 (59%) received the services of a Society within the 12 months prior to their death in 2016. Of the 55 investigations into the deaths of Indigenous children and youth, 32 (59%) received the services of a Society within 12 months prior to their death in 2017.
  • Of the 27 Indigenous children and youth that had received the services of a Society within the 12 months prior to their death in 2016, 20 were involved with Indigenous child wellbeing societies, while the other 7 were involved with non-Indigenous children’s aid societies.  Of the 32 Indigenous children and youth that had received the services of a Society in 2017, 28 were involved with Indigenous child wellbeing societies, while the other four were involved with non-Indigenous child wellbeing societies.  Indigenous children and youth are served by Indigenous child wellbeing societies when they reside in an area of Ontario in which a designated organization has jurisdiction. 
  • In 2016 and 2017, there was an increase in the number of deaths of Indigenous children and youth as well as the proportion who were Indigenous in the North Region, where they or their family had Society involvement within 12 months prior to their death.  In 2016, 18 (67%) of the 27 deaths where the Society had been involved with the child, youth or their family within 12 months of the death were identified as Indigenous children and youth and in 2017, 25 (78%) of the 32 deaths were Indigenous children and youth that had Society involvement.
  • In 2016, three of the 14 coroner investigations into the deaths of children and youth in the care of a Society or youth in receipt of Continued Care and Support for Youth (CCSY) (formerly Extended Care and Maintenance) involved Indigenous children and youth.   One was in Extended Society Care and the other was subject to a formal customary care agreement and one was receiving CCSY.  In 2017, six of the 21 coroner investigations into the deaths of children and youth in the care of a Society or youth in receipt of CCSY were identified as Indigenous. Of the six, one was in Temporary Society Care, one was in Extended Society Care and four were subject to a formal customary care agreement.  The number of deaths of Indigenous children and youth that had involvement of a Society is too small to allow analysis of the manner of death. Chart 20A and Chart 20B provide available information on the manner of death of the 46 children and youth in 2016 and 55 children and youth in 2017 respectively.  The distribution of the manner of death of Indigenous children and youth varies year-over-year and no consistent pattern has been identified.

Chart 20A: Manner of death among Indigenous children and youth in 2016, by Society involvement (n=46)

  • Chart 20A provides available information on the manner of death of the 46 Indigenous children and youth that died in 2016, and compares cases with Society involvement to cases without Society involvement.  The manners of death in 2016 were: 1 homicide, 16 accidents, 5 undetermined, 9 natural and 15 suicides. 

Chart 20B: Manner of death among Indigenous children and youth in 2017, by Society involvement (n=55)

  • Chart 20B provides available information on the manner of death of the 55 Indigenous children and youth that died in 2017, and compares cases with Society involvement to cases without Society involvement.  The manners of death in 2017 were: 1 homicide, 13 accidents, 10 undetermined, 6 natural and 25 suicides.

Children and youth in the care of a Society or receiving continued care and support for youth (CCSY) at the time of death

Chart 21A: Age breakdown of children and youth in care of Society or receiving CCSY at the time of death in 2016 (n=14)

  • Chart 21A illustrates that in 2016, eight children and youth (aged 0-18) were in the care of a Society at the time of their death and six youth were receiving CCSY. These 14 children and youth ranged in age from 5 months to 21 years. 

Chart 21B: Age breakdown of children and youth in care of Society or receiving CCSY at the time of death in 2017.

  • 21 children and youth were in the care of a Society at the time of their death in 2017 or were receiving CCSY. These children and youth ranged in age from 24 days to 21 years. 

Chart 22: Manner of death of children and youth in the care of a Society or receiving CCSY at the time of death in 2015 – 2017 

  • Chart 22 shows the manners of death of children and youth in care or that were in receipt of CCSY in 2015 through to 2017.  In 2016 and 2017 there was a decrease in the number of natural deaths than was seen in the previous three years and an increase in the number of suicides.  More accidents occurred in 2017 (n=5) than were observed in the previous four years (typically1/year). The number of homicides and undetermined deaths in 2016 and 2017 remained consistent from 2015.