Notice of Information Practices
Ontario has a law that protects your personal information relating to services that you receive from service providers, including the Children’s Aid Society of Toronto. We are required to follow the privacy rules under the Child Youth and Family Services Act, 2017. We are required to keep your personal information safe and secure. You have the right to know how we may use and give out your personal information, and how you can get access to it.
We are committed to promoting privacy and protecting the confidentiality of the personal information we hold about you and the services you have received.
Children’s Aid Societies’ Mandate
Children’s Aid Societies (“CASs”) have the exclusive mandate to provide child protection services in Ontario. CASs work to promote the best interests, protection and well-being of children. Every CAS in the province is responsible for a specific jurisdiction and at times CASs work together to fulfill their mandate. In Toronto, there are four Children’s Aid Societies that share responsibility for child protection services in the City. The Children’s Aid Society of Toronto is one of them.
Personal Information We Collect and How We Use It and Disclose It
Our records may include personal information collected to provide services to you including for example: your date of birth, contact information, records of meetings with you and/or your family, the services you received, the programs you attended, details of your physical and mental health, medical, psychological or psychiatric reports, school information, financial information, employment history, allegations or findings of child maltreatment, court documentation, police interventions, criminal history, your views or opinions, the views and opinions of others about you and information about your race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, family diversity, disability, creed, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, cultural or linguistic needs, marital or family status.
We collect, use, and disclose (meaning share) personal information to:
- investigate allegations that children may be in need of protection and, where necessary, protect children;
- assess, reduce or eliminate a risk of harm to a child or serious harm to other person or group of people;
- provide services to children and their families for protecting children or for the prevention of circumstances requiring the protection of children;
- provide care for children and supervise children under our supervision;
- assess and approve homes for children who cannot remain with their families;
- place children for adoption;
- plan and manage services;
- aid a law enforcement agency investigation;
- receive payment or process, monitor, verify or reimburse claims for payment;
- detect, monitor or prevent fraud or any unauthorized receipt of services or benefits;
- provide appointment reminders;
- seek consent (or consent of a substitute decision-maker) where appropriate;
- conduct risk management, error management and quality improvement activities;
- survey service recipients;
- dispose of identifiable information;
- respond to or initiating legal proceedings;
- conduct research (subject to certain rules);
- compile statistics;
- report to the government as required by law;
- allow for the analysis, administration and management of the children’s aid system;
- comply with legal and regulatory requirements; and
- fulfill other purposes permitted or required by law.
In child protection cases, we collect information about children who may be at risk of harm or in need of our services. This includes the personal information of the child and important people in the child’s life. We collect this information from children, their families or indirectly from members of the community or other service providers.
We also collect personal information about caregivers and those who seek to provide care to children in need, such as foster parents, adoptive parents and members of a child’s extended family. We collect most of this information directly from those individuals.
Our collection, use and disclosure (sharing) of personal information is done in accordance with Ontario law.
Other Children’s Aid Societies
CAS’ share information with each other to better protect children. Information collected by one CAS may be provided to other CAS’ when the other CAS needs to know the information to provide child protection services. Ontario law permits CASs to share information with one another and with child protection authorities outside Ontario for the purpose of assessing, reducing or eliminating risk of harm to a child.
Service Providers
Service Providers are persons or organizations who assist us to deliver services to children and families. We share only the information that is necessary for service providers to deliver and administer these services unless we obtain your consent to disclose additional information.
Other Third Parties
Sometimes we receive requests for information from third parties such as the police, government agencies and people involved in court cases with our clients. We only give personal information about service recipients to third parties if:
- we have the individual’s consent;
- there is a court order, search warrant, or urgent demand for records requiring disclosure; or
- we are legally permitted or required to provide the information.
If you have questions about this, please contact our Privacy Officer via email.
Your Choices and Who Decides
We do not need consent to fulfill our primary role as a child protection agency, to protect children, where we are required by law to collect, use and disclose personal information. For example, we do not need your permission to meet our child protection obligations or to share your personal information to keep you or someone else safe.
There are other situations where you have the right to make your own information privacy decisions. When we require and ask for your permission, you may choose to say no. If you say yes, you may change your mind at any time. Once you say no, we will no longer share your information unless you say so. Your choice to say no may be subject to some limits.
When there is a right to consent, you may make your own decisions if you are “capable”. You may be capable of making some information privacy decisions and not others. If you are not capable – you will have a substitute decision-maker who will make your information decisions for you. Who can act as a substitute decision-maker and what they have to do is also set out in law.
For children, there is no legal age when they become able to make their own decisions about their personal information. If they are capable, they can make your own decisions. However, if you are a child and are under the age of 16, there are some additional rules to know.
- If you are not capable, your parent(s) or other official guardian will make decisions for you as your substitute decision-maker.
- If you are capable you are able to make decisions regarding your personal information. Your parent(s) or guardian will also be allowed to make decisions about your personal information, unless the Society is made aware that you do not agree to share your information with them. They will not be able to make decisions about any records about treatment or counseling to which you alone consented.
We encourage you to ask your case worker questions to find out more about privacy and your family.
How We Retain and Dispose of Information
CPIN (the Child Protection Information Network) is a provincial information management system used by CASs in Ontario. CPIN is the primary tool used by the Children’s Aid Society of Toronto for storing information needed to deliver CAS services. CPIN contains information about children and their families who receive child protection services. It also contains information about caregivers and those who seek to provide care for children in need, such as foster parents, adoptive parents and members of a child’s extended family.
In CPIN, information is stored in person, case and provider records that are designed to hold the unique information for each service. Person, case and provider records are linked when appropriate to create an overall picture of a client’s or caregiver’s services under the Child Youth and Family Services Act.
At CAST, we also have some older paper and electronic case files that predate CPIN.
We keep the information collected because it might be necessary for future cases. We also keep the information because individuals who received services in the past may ask to see their information.
Records of personal information in our custody and control are stored and disposed of and confidentially. Personal client information stored in CPIN is securely managed by the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services (MCCSS). Access more information about CPIN and the Ontario government’s privacy statement here. Questions about the retention and disposal of personal information in CPIN should be directed to access.privacy@ontario.ca.
Safeguards
Your personal information is kept private and secure. Everyone at CAST is bound by confidentiality. We have to protect your information from loss or theft and make sure no one looks at it or does something with your information if they are not involved in providing services to you or allowed as part of their job. If there is a privacy breach, we will tell you (and we are required by law to tell you).
This applies equally to what we enter into CPIN and other electronic information systems, as well as paper or electronic copies of records, reports, financial records, administrative notes, voice messages, text messages, and emails (including on laptops and cell phones) and any other ways personal information can be recorded.
Access Your Records and Correct Your Records
With some exceptions, you have the right to access the personal information we hold about you that relates to services provided to you.
If you need a copy of your personal information please contact us in writing at
The Children’s Aid Society of Toronto
Attention: Records Disclosure
30 Isabella Street, Toronto, ON M4Y 1N1
or by e-mail at requestrecords@torontocas.ca
In certain situations, you may be denied access to some or all of your personal information about service (with any such denial being in accordance with the law). When we deny access to all or part of a record, we will give you a reason and explain your rights to make a complaint.
We try to keep your personal information accurate and up-to-date. Please let us know if you disagree with what is recorded, and we may make the correction or otherwise we will ask you to write a statement of disagreement and we will attach that statement to your service record.
For More Information or Complaints
If you have questions or concerns about our information practices please reach our Privacy Officer by mail:
The Children’s Aid Society of Toronto
Attention: Privacy Officer
30 Isabella Street, Toronto, ON M4Y 1N1
or by e-mail at: privacyofficer@torontocas.ca
If your privacy questions have not been answered or issues not resolved to your satisfaction, you may wish to make a formal privacy complaint. Learn more about the Complaint Process here.
If at any time you feel that your concerns have not been addressed to your satisfaction, you have the right to complain to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario. The Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario is responsible for making sure that privacy laws are followed in Ontario.
The Commissioner can be reached at:
Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario
2 Bloor Street East, Suite 1400 Toronto, Ontario M4W 1A8
Phone: 416-326-3333 or 1-800-387-0073
TDD/TTY: 416-325-7539
Fax: 1-416-325-9195
e-mail: info@ipc.on.ca
website: www.ipc.on.ca
