The Children's Aid Society of SDG is committed to providing you with professional and access to the many services offered by our agency. Any personal information that you give us will be collected, used and disclosed in accordance with law and our agency policies.
If you have any questions about our privacy practices or the collection, use and disclosure of your personal information, please see our brochure (non accessible PDF) or contact us at 613-933-2292, 1-866-939-9915.
Personal Information We Collect and How We Use It and Disclose It
We collect, use, and disclose (meaning share) personal information to:
- investigate allegations that children may be in need of protection and, where necessary, protect children;
- assess, reduce or eliminate a risk of harm to a child or serious harm to other person or group of people;
- provide services to children and their families for protecting children or for the prevention of circumstances requiring the protection of children;
- provide care for children and supervise children under our supervision;
- assess and approve homes for children who cannot remain with their families;
- place children for adoption;
- plan and manage services;
- aid a law enforcement agency investigation;
- receive payment or process, monitor, verify or reimburse claims for payment;
- detect, monitor or prevent fraud or any unauthorized receipt of services or benefits;
- provide appointment reminders;
- seek consent (or consent of a substitute decision-maker) where appropriate;
- conduct risk management, error management and quality improvement activities;
- service recipient surveying;
- dispose of identifiable information;
- respond to or initiating legal proceedings;
- conduct research (subject to certain rules);
- report to the government as required by law;
- comply with legal and regulatory requirements;
In child protection cases, we collect information about children who may be at risk of harm or in need of our services. This includes the personal information of the child and important people in the child’s life. We collect this information from children, their families or indirectly from members of the community or other service providers.
Ontario has a law that protects your personal information relating to services that you receive from us. We are required to follow the privacy rules under the Child Youth and Family Services Act, 2017. We are required to keep your personal information safe and secure. You have the right to know how we may use and give out your service information, and how you can get access to it.
CAS Mandate
Children’s Aid Societies (“CASs”) have the exclusive mandate to provide child protection services in Ontario. CASs work to promote the best interests, protection and well-being of children.
Your Choices and Who Decides
We do not need consent to fulfill our primary role as a child protection agency, to protect children, where we are required by law to collect, use and disclose personal information.
There are other situations where you have the right to make your own information privacy decisions. When we require and ask for your permission, you may choose to say no. If you say yes, you may change your mind at any time, although this might be subject to limits at times.
When there is a right to consent, you may make your own decisions if you are “capable”. If not a substitute decisionmaker will make your information decisions for you. Who can act as a substitute decision-maker and what they have to do is also set out in law.
For children, there is no legal age when you become able to make your own decisions about your personal information. If you are capable, you can make your own decisions. However, if you are under the age of 16, there are some additional rules to know.
- If you are not capable, your parent(s) or other official guardian will make decisions for you as your substitute decision-maker
- If you are capable, you will make your own decisions.
- If you are capable, your parent(s) or guardian will also be allowed to make some decisions about your personal information service records. But they will not be able to make decisions about any records about treatment or counseling to which you alone consented.
How We Retain and Dispose of Information
Child Protection Information Network (CPIN) is a provincial information management system used by CASs. CPIN is the primary tool for storing information needed to deliver CAS services. We also have some older electronic case files that predate CPIN.
When we dispose of personal information, we do so securely.
Safeguards
Your personal information must be kept private and secure. Everyone here is bound by confidentiality. We have to protect your information from loss or theft and make sure no one looks at it or does something with your information if they are not involved in providing services to you or allowed as part of their job. If there is a privacy breach, we will tell you (and we are required by law to tell you).
Access and Correction
With limited exceptions, you have the right to access the personal information we hold about you that relates to a service provided to you.
If you need a copy of your service records, please contact us in writing at c/o Intake Department of The Children’s Aid Society of SDG.
If you disagree with what is recorded, we will make the change or otherwise we will ask you to write a statement of disagreement and we will attach that statement to your service record.
For More Information or Complaints
We encourage you to contact your worker with any questions or concerns you might have about our information practices. You can also reach our Privacy Designate by email, phone or in writing: PrivacyOfficer@cwcas.ca
If your privacy questions have not been answered or issues not resolved to your satisfaction, you may wish to make a formal privacy complaint to us. For our Complaints process, please visit our website at www.cassdg.ca or ask us for a copy.
If, after contacting us, you feel that your concerns have not been addressed to your satisfaction, you have the right to complain to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario. The Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario is responsible for making sure that privacy laws are followed in Ontario.