Children and parents dealing with Children′s Aid Societies need to know they can turn to the Ontario Ombudsman′s office to fight CAS decisions they believe are wrong or unfair, NDP Children and Youth Services Critic Andrea Horwath says.

The Hamilton East MPP called on the McGuinty Liberals to pass Bill 88, her private members bill giving the Ombudsman independent oversight over child welfare and protection in Ontario. The bill passed first reading on April 5. Horwath is pushing the Liberals to fast-track it into law with today′s release of Ombudsman André Marin′s annual report calling for oversight of child welfare.

Ontario is one of the few provinces lacking independent investigative oversight of children′s welfare. Five provinces - Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia - have Ombudsman oversight of child welfare issues, including child protection. Three others -- Saskatchewan, Quebec and Newfoundland -- have independent oversight through separate offices.

Horwath said the lack of oversight is leaving thousands of families across in Ontario in anguish because they have nowhere to turn when things go wrong in the system, except back to the CAS to complain.

“The Minister of Children and Youth Services is doing everything possible to avoid giving families a fair and independent appeal process,” Horwath said. “There′s no good reason for the Minister to prevent this important measure of Ombudsman oversight from moving forward,” Horwath said.

Minister Mary Anne Chambers, in a letter to Horwath dated May 25, says the government′s Bill 210 does “permit individuals to bring a wide range of complaints to the Child and Family Services Review Board.”

But Horwath noted even that inadequate measure isn′t available to families because Bill 210 isn′t in force yet. Only her bill provides an independent avenue of appeal, she said.

The Board proposed by the Minister is comprised of government appointees, lacks proper resources and investigative tools and has 23 vacancies on its 34-person board.

“I′ve directed families to the Ministry of Children and Youth Services seeking a hearing from the Review Board, and the ministry just adds to their anger and frustration by denying them. Unfortunately, Ontario′s Minister of Children and Youth Services isn′t on the side of children and youth who, with their families, try to fight CAS decisions.”