Did you know children accessing social services have specific rights? The Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services launches Children and Young Persons’ Rights Resource
On July 29, 2020, Hon. Jill Dunlop, Associate Minister of Children and Women's Issues, announced the government’s strategy to redesign the child welfare system.
The focus of this change will be on supporting children and families with more prevention and early intervention measures.
All children and young people receiving services under the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017 (CYFSA) are entitled to these rights which include but are not limited to:
the right to be safe, heard and cared for
rights about how your personal information is collected, used and shared
Service providers you come into contact with must respect those rights, explain them to you in words you can understand and address when you feel your rights have been infringed.
As part of this redesign, the Ministry is responding to the needs of children and youth to make their rights easier to understand. As part of this, they have launched the Children and Young Persons’ Rights Resource (Rights Resource) at www.ontario.ca/RightsResource.
The Rights Resource is a website designed to support children and young persons receiving services under the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017 (CYFSA). The website outlines the rights provisions under Part II and Part X of the CYFSA using child-friendly language, acting as an accessible resource that children and young persons can turn to when they want to understand their rights. It also acts as a resource to help parents, caregivers and service providers to better understand the rights of children and young persons.