Child Protection

Intake- Protection

The primary function of the Intake Unit is to investigate, gather information and make an assessment in order to determine whether a child may be in need of protection. The intake worker will determine during the investigation whether;

(a) the child is being adversely affected by the situation which prevails; (b) the child may be considered actually or potentially in need of protection; (c) the parent or other caretaker is willing and able to correct the situation; and (d) the parent or other caregiver needs or could benefit from the Society’s assistance in correcting the situation.

Family Services

The primary function of the Family Service Department is to provide ongoing protection service to children and families in accordance with the current child welfare legislation. Cases are transferred from Intake Services to Family Services on a weekly basis. Transfers are also received from other jurisdictions. The functions of Family Service Workers include ongoing monitoring, service coordination, making referrals and completing investigations when new information has been received. Family Service Workers are also primarily responsible for preparing court documentation and attending court as required. 

Protection Support Services

This team works in conjunction with Family Services to provide hands-on assistance to families/youth in crisis on an intense and regular basis in order to prevent family/placement breakdown and to maintain children/youth in their own homes/placements. The Protection Support Worker also provides short-term support to children in care and/or parents immediately following the child’s admission to care or to expedite their return to the home if removal has been necessary.

Kinship Services

Kinship services are provided when children or youth can not live with their parents due to child protection concerns and the family or the Court decides that living with kin is the best option. Kin would be responsible to provide financially for all the needs of the child placed in their home. There are community agencies able to assist on a short term basis. “Kin” can be a relative or someone who has a meaningful relationship to the family. When children are able to reside with kin they are in a familiar and nurturing environment with someone they know and trust.

Children’s Services

Children’s Services is a department within the Protection stream. The program exists to serve the needs of children in care of the Agency, whereby the children are assigned workers to advocate for and assist them in meeting their needs, in accordance with Ministry Standards.

Resources/Adoption

The Resource/Adoption team is responsible for the recruitment, screening, training, placement, monitoring and support services to foster and adoptive homes. Post-adoption services are also provided to adoptees, birth families and adoptive parents. Every child deserves a safe and supportive home. Chatham-Kent Children’s Services needs you to open your heart and home to our children. If interested in more information please call our recruitment worker at 352-0440.

Supervised Access

The Supervised Access Program provides service to clients with children sixteen years of age and younger who require supervised access to their children and are active clients of the Chatham-Kent Children’s Services. Those referred must be persons with whom protection concerns exist and risk to the child has been established, making supervision necessary.

The plan of service/court order must require that the offending parent(s) requires supervised access to their child

 

If a person has reasonable grounds to suspect that a child is or may be in need of protection, a report must be promptly made and shall include the information upon which it is based. You do not need to be sure that a child is or may be in need of protection to make a report to the Agency. “Reasonable grounds” are what an average person, given his or her training, experience, exercising normal and honest judgment would suspect.

Once a report is made to the Agency, a determination will be made as to whether a protection investigation will be commenced. The person making the initial report should bear in mind that the duty to report is an ongoing obligation.

As such, if a person has made a previous report and has additional reasonable grounds to suspect that a child is or may be in need of protection, there continues to be responsibility to make a further report. It is also imperative that the person who has the reasonable grounds to suspect that a child is or may be in need of protection must make the report directly to the Agency. The person must not rely on another person to make the report on their behalf.