The Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies (OACAS) Journal is a major source of information for Ontario’s children’s services professionals. Published twice a year, the OACAS Journal features articles and news on child welfare research and practice in Ontario, highlighting projects and initiatives to improve the well-being of children, youth and families.
Current Issue
Circulation and readership
The Journal is distributed in print and electronically to a diverse readership of over 3,500 subscribers, including:
Child welfare administrators, practitioners and researchers
University libraries
Social workers and administrators in other disciplines
Politicians and public servants in the Ontario Government
Community partners
Media
Special Note regarding Journal Subscriptions and Article Submissions
November 2016: As the Ontario child welfare sector continues to undergo significant change, OACAS has decided it’s an ideal time to re-evaluate the purpose, content, and format of the Journal for future volumes. To do this effectively, production of the Journal will go on a short hiatus. We will not be seeking submissions during this period, and will notify the field and all subscribers when we plan to relaunch the Journal.
When the Journal is relaunched, subscriptions and article submissions will reopen.
Article Submissions
OACAS welcomes articles in English and French from researchers and professionals on the subject of child welfare research and practice, highlighting projects and initiatives to improve the well-being of children, youth and families.
Topics of interest include Indigenous child welfare, child neglect, woman abuse and adult mental health.
The OACAS Journal welcomes submissions on child welfare research and practice, highlighting projects and initiatives to improve the well-being of children, youth and families. OACAS accepts the following types of submissions:
Feature articles on research, initiatives, projects or service, with a word count of 1,000 to 3,500 words. OACAS may publish longer articles, depending on the subject matter.
News articles on events and activities, with a word count of 250 to 500 words.
Opinion pieces with a word count of 100 to 500 words.
Book and video reviews with a word count of 300 to 1,000 words. Book and video reviews must note the title, author/creator, publisher/producer, year published and cost of book or video reviewed.
Topics of interest
Topics of interest include Indigenous child welfare, child neglect, woman abuse and adult mental health.
Format and requirements
Articles are to be written according to the American Psychological Association (APA) Style Manual. Spelling should be in Canadian English (see the Oxford Canadian Dictionary).
All articles should include a title, the name(s) title(s) of the author(s) and references, where appropriate.
Agency Consent
If an author is associated with a Children’s Aid Society in Ontario or is submitting a piece related to an initiative at a Children’s Aid Society, OACAS will require the consent of the Executive Director of the agency prior to the Editorial Board review.
The following consent form AGENCY CONSENT FORMis to be submitted along with the article.
Author Biography
Author(s) are to provide a short biography of up to 120 words, detailing education, research, employment and other relevant information, to be submitted along with article.
Visual material
Black and white charts, tables and illustrations are accepted and should be included where possible. Visual material in colour is not encouraged.
Decisions regarding publication
All articles submitted to the OACAS Journal are reviewed anonymously by the Editorial Board using a review matrix. Reviewers are not identified to the contributors and vice versa. Submitters will be informed of the decision to include the submission, request changes be made or decline the submission.
For a list of the Editorial Board members, click here.
Sending in submissions
Submissions are to be sent as MS Word files to journal@oacas.org. Please include the contact information of all authors.
Editorial Board
All articles submitted to the OACAS Journal are evaluated through a blind review process by an Editorial Board.
Members of the Editorial Board assess submissions based on a review matrix to ensure they fit within the submission guidelines. All submitters will be informed of the decision to include the submission, request changes be made or decline the submission by the Editorial Board Coordinator.
Copyright
Please contact journal@oacas.org to request republication.
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