Issues: Group home; Physical restraints; Death and Serious Bodily Harm Report (DSBH); Rights (Safety) Our Office checked on a youth after we heard she was hurt when her group home staff physically restrained her self-injurious behaviour. We learned of the incident through a mandatory report known …
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Our Office checked on a youth after we heard she was hurt when her group home staff physically restrained her self-injurious behaviour.
Restraining restraints
Issues: Group home; Physical restraint; Police involvement; Disability; Death and Serious Bodily Harm Report (DSBH); Rights (Safety) Our staff reached out to a youth after we learned that he had his arm broken while being restrained by staff at his group home. The incident was reported to us …
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Our staff reached out to a youth after we learned that he had his arm broken while being restrained by staff at his group home.
Rethinking reliance on police
Issues: Children’s aid society; Police involvement; Death and Serious Bodily Harm Report (DSBH); Rights (Get help); Rights (Fairness) Our Office made inquiries when we learned that a children’s aid society (CAS) asked the police to bring back a youth who had left her foster home without permission …
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Our Office made inquiries when we learned that a children’s aid society (CAS) asked the police to bring back a youth who had left her foster home without permission to return to her family home.
Whistleblower heard
Issues: Group home; Quality of care; Rights (Good care); Rights (Safety) A whistleblower came to us with several disturbing allegations about a group home serving children and youth who are medically fragile or have other vulnerabilities. These included allegations of physical abuse, hygiene issues …
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A whistleblower came to us with several disturbing allegations about a group home serving children and youth who are medically fragile or have other vulnerabilities.
Delivered at last
Issues: Children’s aid society; Rights (Your file) A woman who had been granted full custody of her niece – with the support of a children’s aid society (CAS) – contacted us after waiting four months for a certified copy of the original court order, which she needed in order to apply for a health …
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A woman who had been granted full custody of her niece – with the support of a children’s aid society (CAS) – contacted us after waiting four months for a certified copy of the original court order, which she needed in order to apply for a health card and other important items for the girl.
No surrender
A driver complained to us after he was told the Ministry had no record of the licence he had surrendered to them 30 days earlier. Drivers whose licences are suspended because of demerit points are required to surrender them in person at ServiceOntario centres or mail them to the Ministry. However, …
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A driver complained to us after he was told the Ministry had no record of the licence he had surrendered to them 30 days earlier.
Experience counts
A man who had driving experience in India and in British Columbia sought our help after he tried to obtain an equivalent Ontario driver’s licence. His experience should have qualified him immediately for a G2 licence (the second of three steps in Ontario’s graduated licence program) and allowed him …
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A man who had driving experience in India and in British Columbia sought our help after he tried to obtain an equivalent Ontario driver’s licence.
Kept in suspense
A driver whose licence was suspended as a result of a criminal charge successfully appealed the charge and had it removed from his record. He was told by ServiceOntario staff that the licence would be reinstated within 2-3 days. He complained to us when, several weeks later, he was charged with …
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A driver whose licence was suspended as a result of a criminal charge successfully appealed the charge and had it removed from his record.
Dogged determination
Issues: Disability; Rights (Identity) After a youth living in a treatment home complained that his request for a service dog was refused,* we followed up with his CAS worker. She raised the issue with the home, which agreed to develop a new policy regarding service dogs, which they provided to us. …
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After a youth living in a treatment home complained that his request for a service dog was refused, we followed up with his CAS worker.
Talk or else
Issues: Group home; Rights (Good care); Rights (Safety) A 13-year-old in a group home complained that staff were forcing him to talk to them and share his feelings, rather than respecting his privacy. He said they threatened to remove privileges, like making calls to his parents or using an iPad, …
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A 13-year-old in a group home complained that staff were forcing him to talk to them and share his feelings, rather than respecting his privacy.
Culture change
Issues: Children’s aid society; Black youth; Rights (Identity); Rights (Get help); Rights (Fairness) Black 16-year-old complained that her CAS worker was dismissive of her requests for hair and skin products that met her cultural needs, making her feel like she was being treated differently …
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A Black 16-year-old complained that her CAS worker was dismissive of her requests for hair and skin products that met her cultural needs, making her feel like she was being treated differently because of her race.
Repairing wrongs
Issues: Children’s aid society; Duty to report; Quality of care; Rights (Get help); Rights (Fairness) A woman sought our help after her two foster children disclosed to her that their former foster parent had been physically and verbally abusive toward them. She had already reported this to the …
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A woman sought our help after her two foster children disclosed to her that their former foster parent had been physically and verbally abusive toward them.
Seeking the right support
Issues: Children’s aid society; Disability; Rights (Get help) After her second suicide attempt, a 15-year-old girl contacted us from the hospital. She said she did not want to return to her family home because she did not feel safe there. She had contacted her local children’s aid society (CAS), …
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After her second suicide attempt, a 15-year-old girl contacted us from the hospital.
The right balance
Issues: Group home; Rights (Good care); Rights (Get help) A 16-year-old youth complained to us that staff at his group home threatened to lock the refrigerator after he helped himself to food at night when he was hungry. He had lodged an internal complaint at the home, but still felt his concerns …
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A 16-year-old youth complained to us that staff at his group home threatened to lock the refrigerator after he helped himself to food at night when he was hungry.
Keeping watch
Issues: Children’s aid society; Quality of care A woman worried about the health and safety of a young relative complained to us that the local children’s aid society (CAS) had done “nothing” in response to her concerns. Our Children and Youth Unit contacted the CAS, which provided us with …
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A woman worried about the health and safety of a young relative complained to us that the local children’s aid society (CAS) had done “nothing” in response to her concerns.
Right-ing on the wall
Issues: Group home; Disability; Rights (Get help) A 16-year-old who has a developmental disability and lives in a group home contacted us to raise questions about his rights. We spoke to his caseworker, who told us the young man had been informed about his rights when he first arrived at the home …
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A 16-year-old who has a developmental disability and lives in a group home contacted us to raise questions about his rights.
A better way
Issues: Children’s aid society; Police involvement; Rights (Identity) A 13-year-old racialized youth complained to us after her children’s aid society (CAS) called the police to transport her to a new group home – which they did by handcuffing her and placing her in the back of a police vehicle. …
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A 13-year-old racialized youth complained to us after her children’s aid society (CAS) called the police to transport her to a new group home – which they did by handcuffing her and placing her in the back of a police vehicle.
Family feud
Issues: Group home; Rights (Good care) A 16-year-old youth living in a group home complained to our Office that staff at the home were not allowing him to contact certain members of his family because his mother – his legal guardian – did not want him speaking to them. Our Children and Youth Unit …
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A 16-year-old youth living in a group home complained to our Office that staff at the home were not allowing him to contact certain members of his family because his mother – his legal guardian – did not want him speaking to them.
Safe slumber
Issues: Children’s aid society; Rights (Get help) A 16-year-old living in a foster home sought our help when she was invited to spend the night at a friend’s house, but her foster care agency denied her request, citing COVID-19 restrictions. She told us her children’s aid society worker was not …
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A 16-year-old living in a foster home sought our help when she was invited to spend the night at a friend’s house, but her foster care agency denied her request, citing COVID-19 restrictions.
A cry for help
Issue: Children’s aid society A 15-year-old emailed us that she was being physically and verbally abused by her mother, and had started to self-harm and even attempted suicide as a result. Our Children and Youth Unit connected her to a children’s aid society and the Kids Help Phone crisis line. We …
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A 15-year-old emailed us that she was being physically and verbally abused by her mother, and had started to self-harm and even attempted suicide as a result.
