Child Protection

Intake & Investigation

Reports to discuss a suspected child protection issue will have the first point of contact with the Intake Screeners.
Information about the report will be collected and documented on our provincial data management system.
Once staff input this information – the person who reported the concern will no longer have an obligation or right to continue any further with the investigation.
All reports remain confidential.
Upon approval to become involved with the family, a child protection worker at the Intake level is assigned to conduct an assessment.
Intake, which includes the initial assessment phase, identifies if a child is at risk and begins the Child Protection helping process.
If ongoing intervention is required, the family is then assigned to a Child Protection Worker within the Family Services Department.
The Society is mandated to provide services 24 hours per day. An on-call worker and Supervisor are available to respond to requests for service.

Ongoing Family Services provide services and support to families experiencing difficulty with issues related to parenting and children who are in need of protection.
Many of these families are involved with the Society on a voluntary basis.
Children in these families may be residing in their own homes, with extended family or friends, or in foster care.
Child Protection Workers assess the strengths and needs of families to assist in healthy problem solving and offer supportive counseling and connection to community services.
The Society’s in-home services and community resources provide assistance with parenting skills, child development and behaviour, infant and child care, child and adult mental health, addictions, and family conflict.

Every child who enters the care of the Algoma CAS has an individualized access plan which addresses the contact with their biological parents and/or primary caregivers.
The Supervised Access Team is responsible for assisting in the planning and, where required, the provision of access supervision for children who are in the care of the Society.
Access is implemented following collaboration with Society staff members directly involved in the plan for the family, community professionals, the biological family, and formal and informal supports to the biological family.
Supervised Access staff are responsible to follow the access guidelines that have been established to ensure that access continues to be beneficial for the family members attending.
The frequency and duration will be determined by the Child Protection department in conjunction with the Supervised Access department.
Each plan will be reviewed to ensure that the proprieties of access remain child-focused and they are amended as required to ensure the best interests of the children remain at the forefront.