In February 2014, following a Coroner’s Inquest into the 2002 death of a young child who had involvement with the child protection system in Ontario, the Inquest jury provided its verdict and recommendations to the Ontario government. Of the 103 recommendations, four focus on the duty to report child abuse and neglect as set out in the Child and Family Services Act (the “CFSA”). The Inquest jury also recommended that the Ministry of Children and Youth Services further promote public and professional awareness to ensure suspected child abuse and neglect are consistently reported across the province.
As a social worker or social service worker, you are in a unique position to recognize possible signs of child abuse and neglect. It is imperative that you be well informed with respect to your duty to report under the CFSA. The Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (the “College”) has developed a resource to help its members better understand their duty to report under section 72 of the CFSA.
For further information, please click here.