Message from the Executive Director
By Jeanette Lewis

Children are our future and their well-being must be a priority for everyone in Ontario. Children‘s Aid Societies (CASs) play an important role in the community, providing child protection, guidance, care and prevention services to vulnerable families to ensure children are not affected by economic conditions.

CASs also have a responsibility to educate the public about the needs of vulnerable children across Ontario and to engage everyone to help protect and care for our most precious citizens. As first responders in Ontario communities, CASs are needed more than ever as families are losing jobs, losing their homes and parents are unable to provide for their kids.

On behalf of its member agencies across Ontario, the Ontario Association of Children‘s Aid Societies (OACAS) is launching a public education campaign to educate Ontarians about the role of the local CAS in their community and ways they can get involved in protecting children and building strong families.

Through this public education campaign, OACAS and its member agencies will advocate for and raise awareness around the well-being of children and engage Ontarians in this important conversation.

OACAS and its member agencies continue to educate the public through various education campaigns. The Child Abuse Prevention Campaign, during October, was aimed at educating the public about everyone‘s duty to report suspected or actual child abuse and neglect to their local Children‘s Aid Society. Foster Family Week (October 18-24) and Adoption Awareness month in November highlighted the need for more caring foster and adoptive parents for children in care and Crown wards, because every child deserves a family.

This edition of the Journal focuses on safe sleeping practices for babies; good foster parenting techniques; openness in adoption; the link between mainstream child welfare and First Nations and developmental supervision.

Jeanette Lewis
Executive Director