Children in CAS Care

Children come into the care of Children's Aid Societies (CASs) for various reasons.

Some children are placed with CAS voluntarily by their parents, while others are placed by a court order from the Family Court Judge. You should talk to your CAS worker about your child's personal situation or if you don’t have a worker, ask to speak with an Intake worker.

Children who come into care on a short term or voluntary basis, do so with the consent of the parent and the child if over the age of twelve (12), for a defined period of time.
If a child comes into our care in a different way, the Family Court Judge will decide what needs to happen.

Length of care

Children can be in the care of CAS for short or long periods of time depending on individual family’s circumstances.  This could mean one day or as long as up to the time they are able to live on their own. (Back)

Providing a home for a child

We offer several types of placements for children in CAS care. This includes foster homes and group homes.  We will place a child in the best available home to meet his or her needs.

Caring for a child

Most children in our care live with foster families. The family caring for a child will have been carefully selected using a rigorous approval and training process, and ongoing training and evaluation. The child will be assigned to their own worker, called a Children’s Services Worker.  This worker will support, guide and advocate for the child.  A parent will continue to be involved in important decisions.

Visiting a child

A child in care may have visits with their mother, father and siblings and other important people in their lives unless a Family Court Judge has decided otherwise. (Back)

Problem resolution while a child is in care

We want to provide services that are helpful to the family and the child. We must also comply with the laws governing children in CAS care.
If there's a problem, we will do our best to resolve it. Speak with your worker regarding any issues.
If you and your CAS worker can't sort it out, ask to speak to the CAS worker's supervisor. If you, the worker and the supervisor can't resolve the problem, the CAS has a formal complaint procedure that will be explained to you. You can ask for a written copy of this procedure at any time.

Children’s Rights

While a child is in the care of the CAS, he or she has several important rights, including:

• The right to participate in the important decisions that are made about his or her life in a way that's appropriate to his or her age and ability
• The right to privacy
• The right to visit with parents, unless a Family Court Judge decides, or a court order provides for the CAS to decide, it is not in a child's best interests
• The right to receive appropriate care, including nutritious meals, education that suits his or her abilities, regular medical and dental care, age-appropriate clothing and participation in after-school recreational activities
• The right to freedom from physical abuse or punishment, and from emotional, sexual and verbal abuse
• The right to practice his or her religion, and to receive religious instruction
• The right to participate in activities that are important to his or her culture and heritage
• The right to have his or her individuality respected, including ability, sexual orientation and gender identification (Back)

Parent’s Rights

The CAS must make a reasonable effort to notify a parent of all matters involving court. If the Family Court Judge decides that your child must remain in our care, the CAS must notify and allow you to take part in important decisions affecting your child. A plan will be created to outline what everyone must do to ensure the best outcome for a child, whether that is remaining in our care for a period of time, or returning home.

CAS records are confidential

The CAS must keep accurate records of all contacts with children and their families to document our activity, and collect important information to help a family. All records are confidential and disclosure of their contents is strictly regulated.
You have the right to:

• review and understand your record

• have the record explained to you

• seek corrections

Disagreements with a judge's decision

A parent has the right to retain a lawyer at any time, if a parent cannot afford one, assistance will be given through the Legal Aid Office (Back)

Additional information

If your child is in care you should speak to your CAS worker about anything you don't understand, or if you have any questions or concerns. If you don’t have a child in care, but have questions about what we do and how we do it, please telephone our office and ask to speak with our Intake Department.