Children across Canada should start kindergarten ready to succeed in kindergarten.
That will hopefully include some basic literacy and numeracy skills, such as counting to 15, grasping letters and identifying faces and numbers.
Children’s Aid Society says they can also help families when they suspect domestic violence.
But advocates for kids and their parents often have trouble finding information about what happens when a school district reports a case of child neglect or sexual abuse.
“We need to have more clarity around what comes after those cases,” said Andrea Sylvester, a lawyer with the Children’s Aid Society.
The Ontario government developed guidelines in 2009 to make public the names of school district that have substantiated reports of child neglect and sexual abuse.
The guidelines outline that each school district has to respond by identifying abuse, neglect or other forms of maltreatment as well as providing prevention and support for the victim or the perpetrator.
The guidelines detail what information should be provided to the child’s family and parents — and what information the child’s school district should provide the Children’s Aid Society.
What information are you looking for, and what questions should you ask your child’s school? Let us know in the comments section.
You can find other ways to track child abuse and neglect with the Life Safety Tools tool below.
Child Maltreatment Detection Tool
Missing Children and Child Abuse Tool
Child Abuse Tips
Resources for Families and Youth
Resources for Children
Sources
Ontario ombudsman investigation, Ombudsman Report 95, 2005, p. 213, Protecting Our Children: The Privacy of Child Maltreatment
FAZO No. 2, Child Care Appropriate Practices Guidance Sheet,
February 24, 2005,
www. osu.on.ca/OPAW.html
Resources for Families and Youth