This week, from September 16-20, 2024, we join Children’s Aid Societies and Indigenous Child and Family Well-Being Agencies across Ontario in recognizing Kinship and Alternate Care Awareness Week. This province-wide campaign shines a spotlight on the important role that Kin, Kith and alternate caregivers play in providing temporary care for children and youth and supporting their well-being until they can safely return to their parents or primary caregivers.
At the Children’s Aid Society of Toronto (CAST), we facilitated nearly 400 Kinship placements in 2023-24, driven by our priority of keeping children and youth connected to their families, communities and identities. These placements are more than just temporary solutions; they represent an intentional effort to reduce trauma, maintain continuity and support the development of a strong networks for children and youth. The benefits of Kinship care can be profound:
- Reduced trauma and anxiety, allowing for smoother transitions into new living environments
- Strengthened sense of identity with support from caregivers who deeply understand or share their cultural and familial background
- Continuity of familial, religious, cultural, and social connections that reinforce a young person’s sense of belonging
Over the past year, our Agency has further demonstrated its commitment to innovative practices with the introduction of the Rapid Search Process. This initiative minimizes the time children and youth spend in care by rapidly identifying potential Kin or Kith caregivers within 24-48 hours after entry into care. Utilizing tools such as family interviews, reviews of child welfare records and social media searches, the process has led to over 100 successful rapid searches since its inception in December 2023. These searches have fostered stronger family ties and led to the development of Kinship plans that significantly reduce the time children and youth remain in care.
As we reflect on the critical importance of these initiatives, we encourage our community to further explore the impact of Kinship. Our in-house team remains committed to identifying, assessing, and supporting caregivers who help us achieve our goal of ensuring safe, nurturing and connected environments for children and youth.
