PROCEDURES, PRACTICES AND STANDARDS OF SERVICE FOR CHILD PROTECTION CASES

Child and Family Services Act
Loi sur les services à l’enfance et à la famille

ONTARIO REGULATION 206/00

No Amendments

PROCEDURES, PRACTICES AND STANDARDS OF SERVICE FOR CHILD PROTECTION CASES

Historical Version for the period March 31, 2000 to February 5, 2006.

This Regulation is made in English only.

1. In this Regulation,

“child” has the same meaning as in Part III of the Act;

“Child Protection Fast Track Information System” means the database containing information extracted from the records kept by societies respecting children and families with whom the society has had contact in connection with the society’s function under clause 15 (3) (a) of the Act;

“Risk Assessment Model” means the Ministry of Community and Social Services publication titled “Risk Assessment Model for Child Protection in Ontario” and dated March 2000. O. Reg. 206/00, s. 1.

2. Within 24 hours after receiving information that a child is or may be in need of protection, a society shall,

(a) record the information it received;

(b) rate the information it received in accordance with the rating criteria contained in the publication of the Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies titled “Ontario Child Welfare ELIGIBILITY SPECTRUM” and dated March 2000;

(c) record the rating made under clause (b) and the reasons for the rating;

(d) search the Child Protection Fast Track Information System for information that may be relevant in determining whether or not there are reasonable and probable grounds to believe that the child or any other child in the same family is in need of protection;

(e) record the information that may be relevant found under clause (d);

(f) decide, in accordance with the Risk Assessment Model, whether or not a full child protection investigation should be initiated with respect to the child and any other child in the same family;

(g) record the decision made under clause (f);

(h) if the decision made under clause (f) is that a full child protection investigation should be initiated,

(i) determine, in accordance with the Risk Assessment Model, the time within which a child protection worker should first meet with the child who is, or the children who are, the subject of the investigation, and

(ii) develop, in accordance with the Risk Assessment Model, a plan for carrying out the investigation; and

(i) record the determination made under subclause (h) (i) and the plan developed under subclause (h) (ii). O. Reg. 206/00, s. 2.

3. A society shall ensure that,

(a) when a child protection worker first meets with the child who is, or any of the children who are, the subject of a full child protection investigation, the worker conducts a safety assessment in accordance with the Risk Assessment Model and takes the actions that are immediately necessary to protect the child or children, as the case may be; and

(b) as soon as possible and no later than 24 hours after the first meeting referred to in clause (a), the worker records the safety assessment conducted under clause (a) and the actions, if any, the worker has taken under clause (a) to protect the child or children, as the case may be. O. Reg. 206/00, s. 3.

4. (1) After completing a full child protection investigation, a society shall,

(a) record the findings of the investigation;

(b) determine, in accordance with the Risk Assessment Model, whether or not there are reasonable and probable grounds to believe that the child who was, or any of the children who were, the subject of the investigation is in need of protection; and

(c) record the determination made under clause (b) and the reasons for it. O. Reg. 206/00, s. 4 (1).

(2) If the determination made by the society under clause (1) (b) is that there are reasonable and probable grounds to believe that the child who was, or any of the children who were, the subject of the investigation is in need of protection, the society shall,

(a) carry out, in accordance with the Risk Assessment Model, a risk assessment and an assessment of other child protection issues;

(b) develop and carry out, in accordance with the Risk Assessment Model, a plan for reducing the risk of future harm to the child who is, or the children who are, believed to be in need of protection; and

(c) record the assessments carried out under clause (a), the plan developed under clause (b) and the steps taken to implement the plan. O. Reg. 206/00, s. 4 (2).

(3) The society shall repeat the tasks it is required to perform under clauses (2) (a), (b) and (c) at least every six months until it determines, in accordance with the Risk Assessment Model, that the child is, or the children are, as the case may be, no longer eligible for child protection services. O. Reg. 206/00, s. 4 (3).

(4) When the society determines that the child is, or the children are, as the case may be, no longer eligible for child protection services, the society shall,

(a) review its most recent assessments under clause (2) (a) and its most recent plan under clause (2) (b); and

(b) record the review. O. Reg. 206/00, s. 4 (4).

5. Omitted (provides for coming into force of provisions of this Regulation). O. Reg. 206/00, s. 5.