Protecting children of all ages

Ontario’s Children’s Aid Societies believe, and Ontarians support, that all children and youth deserve safety. Only 7 percent of Ontarians feel that it is adequate to protect children only until the age of 16, 49 percent say that the age of protec­tion should be raised to the age of 18, 12 percent say to the age of 19 and a further 26 percent believe youth should be protected to the age of 21.

Ontario’s definition of “child” in the Child and Family Services Act, under Section 37, is inconsistent with article 1 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which defines children as “persons up to the age of 18 years”.  According to a study by the Centre of Excellence in Child Welfare, five provinces and territories have already defined 18 or 19 as the age of protection in child welfare.

OACAS and Ontario Children’s Aid Societies recommend raising the age of protection to 18. Children’s Aid should have the ability to intervene when older children are abused or neglected and be able to work with children and their families, and help them make connections in the community to access supports and services. The alternatives to providing protection are grim. Youth looking to escape unsafe condi­tions run away and become homeless, some turn to drugs and alcohol, end up on social assistance, or become involved in correctional services. Read more in the 2011 Child Welfare Report.