CAS Family Engagement meetings are scary
No one wants to get a knock on the door from a CAS Worker in Ontario. It’s the start of a process that can leave you feeling powerless and helpless. The CAS workers have all the knowledge, all the paperwork and all the control.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. You do have rights when dealing with CAS. And with Full Circle Family Engagement, you can have a neutral facilitator who can explain what is happening and advise you how to proceed.
The welfare of the child will always come first. But with a facilitator can be assured that a knowledgeable third party is involved and will advocate for you, too when its appropriate.
You don’t have to face CAS alone.
Answers to questions about your meeting with an Ontario Children’s Aid Society
Why is Ontario CAS contacting me?
The simple answer is that someone called in a concern for the child or children in your care. These calls are anonymous, and it won’t do any good to try to figure out who may have made the call. Sometimes people make these calls because they want to hurt you. Far more often, though, the call is made because there is a genuine concern for a child.
What happens if I don’t understand the paperwork they make me fill out?
This is one of the frustrating parts of dealing with the Childrens Aid Society of Ontario. You’re likely going to be surprised and confused about why they are talking to you in the first place. Make sure you ask a lot of questions until you are sure you understand the document in front of you. Remember, you have the right to refuse to sign anything until you have had someone else look it over.
Will they put my kids in a foster home?
Removing a child from their primary care giver is supposed to be a last resort. The primary goal of any Childrens Aid Society should be to protect the children within the existing family structure. It is traumatic for a child to be removed from their caregivers and should only happen as a last restort.