OACAS Launches New Report that Highlights Experiences of LGBT2SQ+ Children, Youth and Families in Child Welfare

OACAS is pleased to launch the provincial report of the Ontario Child Welfare LGBT2SQ+ Organizational Assessment in both English and French.

This first-of-its-kind report in Ontario summarizes the findings of an online organizational self-assessment tool developed to evaluate the readiness and capacity of the province’s Children’s Aid Societies and Indigenous Child and Family Well-Being Agencies to provide effective, affirming, and equitable services for diverse sexual orientations, gender identities, and expressions.

The findings from the organizational self-assessment process help the Ontario child welfare sector to better understand the lived realities of LGBT2SQ+ children, youth, and families, the experiences of the LGBT2SQ+ community involved in the child welfare system, and the landscape of child welfare services available to the LGBT2SQ+ community. The report also includes a literature review that highlights current themes found in the research, as well as a section on intersectionality and early impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the LGBT2SQ+ community.

To accompany the report, we have created a one-pager that visualizes its key recommendations. It is also available in English and French.

We encourage leaders in the Ontario child welfare system, as well as related sectors, to review the findings of this report and determine the steps they can take, as individuals and organizations, toward more equitable outcomes for the LGBT2SQ+ community.