Children in Care in Waterloo Region: At Risk for Future Criminal Justice System Involvement
Over the next ten weeks stay tuned here to the blog discussion on The Root Causes of Crime in Waterloo Region where community leaders, community residents and leading experts across Waterloo Region weigh in on the root causes of crime outlined in the report.
Children in Care
Children in the child welfare system tend to share histories of significant trauma. Children in the child welfare system are also at higher risk of involvement with the criminal justice system. The number of children in care within Waterloo Region therefore is a measure of the number of children with significant risk factors as well as a measure of risk for future criminal justice system involvement.
The Statistics
Source Data: Annual Report, Family and Children’s Services of the Waterloo Region, 2012
Story Behind the Numbers
The number of children in Waterloo Region in the residential care of Family and Children’s Service’s of the Waterloo Region increased by 19% from 2011 to 2012, while days of paid care increased by only 5%. This demonstrates a significant increase in children placed in care but only a small increase in days in care. This means most of the increase in children in care were short term stays in care. This one year increase warrants an on-going examination to see if a trend emerges or if it is a temporary impact of economic or other challenges facing the region.
Read the Community Responses
- Children in Care in Waterloo Region: Compounding Risk for Vulnerable Children by Jill Stoddart, Family and Children’s Services of Waterloo Region