How else is data used in child welfare?

To conduct program evaluations, influence policy, and to inform advocacy strategies.

Some examples of Ontario service data that are publicly available are:

The Ontario Looking After Children project (OnLAC):

Children’s Aid Societies have been providing data to the OnLAC database, housed at the University of Ottawa, since 2000. The data come from the detailed assessment that CAS workers fill out for each child who has been in care for more than a year, and covers health, education, identity, family and social relationships, social presentation, emotional and behavioural development, and self-care skills. This data is used by Children’s Aid Societies to inform strategies for improvement. To read the OnLAC summary report for Year 18 (January 1, 2018 – December 31, 2018) click here.

Ontario Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (OIS):

The University of Toronto Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work conducts the Ontario Incidence Study every five years. This study examines the incidences of substantiated maltreatment at Children’s Aid Societies. There have been five cycles of the study, conducted in 1993, 1998, 2003, 2008, and 2013. These studies can be accessed through the Canadian Child Welfare Research Portal which provides access to up-to-date research on Canadian child welfare programs. Data collection for the OIS-2018 is currently underway.