Grandmother’s helper

Ministry of Children and Youth Services

Date: 2010

When their mother could not care for them, three children moved in with their grandmother so they would not have to be placed with the local children’s aid society (CAS). The grandmother spent $1,700 on school supplies, clothes and other items for the children. She complained to the Ombudsman that a CAS worker had told her she could be reimbursed for these expenses if she kept all her receipts – but when she attempted to get her money back, she was told she could only submit a few receipts at a time.

Furthermore, a number of the receipts she submitted to the CAS were lost. Although the Ombudsman does not have the jurisdiction to investigate the CAS’s handling of the expense claims, Ombudsman staff found out from the Ministry of Children and Youth Services that the grandmother should have been eligible for emergency start-up funds from the CAS under the Ministry’s Ontario Permanency Funding Policy Guidelines. These provide for assistance for family members who take over care of a child who would otherwise be admitted into CAS care. The grandmother was provided with information on how to file a complaint, and ultimately the CAS agreed to fully reimburse her for the money she spent while caring for the children.