Housing as a Factor in Admissions of Children to Temporary Care: A Survey.

Abstract

The Children's Aid Society of Metropolitan Toronto (CAS) is responsible for the of children under the age of 16 Metropolitan Toronto within the mandate of Ontario's Child and Family Services Act. The Society also provides substitute care for children and develops abuse prevention programs. Substitute care is the term for the Children's Aid Society's legal role of placing children who are found to be in need of protection a place of safety (such as a family foster home). For many years, housing was recognized as a serious problem many Children's Aid Society cases, yet its significance as a factor admissions to care was not measured. The Society's Housing Subcommittee initiated a study collaboration with its Housing Advocacy Project and with researchers at the University of Toronto Faculty of Social Work.In 1992, CAS assisted over 9,300 families and 19,800 children. During the 12-month period covered by the research, a total of 957 children were placed the care of the Society. Some children stayed for very brief periods of time, but length of stay ranged, with some children eventually becoming permanent wards of the Society. A total of 2,502 children were the care of CAS during 1992. The average duration of voluntary agreements was 15 months; for apprehensions, it was 18 months. In the minority of instances which a became a permanent ward of the state, the average duration CAS care was five years. The average cost of maintaining a care was $1,528 per month 1992. The vast majority of children assisted 1992 (17,300) remained their own family home, at a monthly per capita cost of $94 1992.Housing is not identified as a concern Ontario's Child and Family Services Act definition of a child need of protection or as one of the grounds for admitting a into temporary care. The Act's general criteria specify that children need of include those suffering or at risk of suffering physical harm, sexual molestation and exploitation, or emotional harm; those need of medical treatment whose parents cannot or will not give consent, and those who have been abandoned. A small but growing body of literature has been examining the link between certain welfare problems, such as abuse and neglect, and the housing situation of the family. Two literature reviews have been published. Parke and Collmer [1975] posed the question, Is there a relationship between the type of housing and type of parental disciplinary tactics generally and abuse specifically? While noting that there is little empirical research this area, they did identify several studies that demonstrated a relationship between housing characteristics such as overcrowding, structural density, and dilapidation, and the type of parental behaviours that are associated with abuse. A decade later, Zuravin [1985] reviewed the literature again, agreeing with Parke and Collmer that the literature was still far from conclusive, but that there is evidence of links two areas: occurrences of neglect and housing problems, and neighbourhood characteristics and rates of reported abuse and neglect [Zuravin 1985: 13].As yet, however, little attention has been given to the direct relationship between poor housing conditions and the admission of children into out-of-home care. Poverty and poor housing conditions are indeed recognized risk factors. Wolfe and Jaffe [1991] identified some risk factors that can affect the chances of a coming into care, including the family being on social assistance or living public housing, or the being a single-parent family. It is also widely recognized that children homeless families are more likely to be abused and neglected and to enter out-of-home care [Child Welfare League of America 1987: 2]. In a recent study of the incidence of reported abuse and neglect, Trocme et al. [1994] identified risk factors that include low income, inadequate housing, whether the family has moved the past six months, and whether the family lives public housing. …

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