EDITOR’S NOTE: This article originally appeared on The Trillium , a Village Media website devoted to covering provincial politics at Queen’s Park. An increasing number of Ontario parents are surrendering their children to the province, not because they've abused or neglected them, but because they cannot find the services and support they need to keep them safe at home. Asked about that at a press conference last week, Premier Doug Ford acknowledged the problem and announced his government is launching an "audit" of the child welfare system.
"It's very unfortunate that that's happening, but we're pouring money into that," Premier Ford said. "We're going to do a complete audit of the entire system because I feel we have some issues there." Ford indicated that it was a high priority for the government, saying, "I probably get 10 to 15 calls a day on it.
" The Ministry of Children, Community, and Social Services provided no further details about the audit, saying only that it is in the "early stages of planning a review of the child welfare system." A premier's office staffer said the audit would investigate why most children's aid societies in Ontario are running deficits right now. The timing is striking: four years ago, the province began a "redesign" of the same system that it is now auditing and reviewing, and that redesign is still in progress.
Child welfare directors, workers, and other experts who've spoken with The Trillium described a shift that's taken place since .