Reporting FAQs
If a child comes to you and tells you that they’ve been mistreated:
- Stay calm and don’t overreact
- Let child disclose at her/his own rate
- Don’t prod or ask leading questions
- Reassure the child that you will help
- Call the Intake Screener at Tikinagan Child and Family Services at 1(800) 465-3624, 24-hours a day. If your concern is not immediate or you don’t have access to a phone, you may also make a report using our confidential online form.
Calls can be made to Tikinagan at any time. During the daytime hours, your call will be directed to our Intake Department. The telephone screener will take information from you and determine how best to respond to your concerns. After office hours, our After Hours Staff will respond in a similar fashion after receiving the message from the answering service. If your concern is not immediate or you don’t have access to a phone, you may also make a report using our confidential online form.
Yes, all calls or online submissions to the agency are taken seriously regardless of whether you provide your name or not. Providing your name, however, allows for the Tikinagan worker investigating the matter to be able to clarify information with you and helps to verify the concerns.
Yes. We know there are times when the pressure of parenting can be overwhelming. You can contact Tikinagan and consult with an Intake Screener with regards to difficulties that you are having in parenting your children. If you are a child needing help, or the sibling or friend of a child you are worried about, you may also call at any time. All calls are confidential and we’re here to help children and their families. If your concern is not immediate or you don’t have access to a phone, you may also make a report using our confidential online form.
Tikinagan does not get involved in every situation that we receive information regarding and often suggests other services that would be more appropriate to assist you.
Tikinagan gets involved with families after a report has been made to the agency. Reports can come from a family themselves, or a friend or neighbour.
Professionals who work with and provide services for children and families (ie: police officers, teachers, doctors, social workers, day care workers, religious leaders) have a duty to report and must contact Tikinagan Child and Family Services, or the CAS in their region, if they are concerned for the well-being of a child and/or the family.
Tikinagan always works with the First Nation’s leadership and each family to protect children and help families create and sustain a healthy and safe home environment. Tikinagan works within the Mamow Obiki-ahwahsoowin service model.
The Child, Youth and Family Services Act of Ontario (CYFSA) describes when a child is in need of protection. This includes if he or she:
- is left alone, is uncared for or is neglected
- has been abused or is likely to be abused
- sees violence between adults in the home
If you’re unsure if you should report it but still have concern for the safety of a child, you should still call. You don’t need to be sure!
Any professional who fails to report a suspicion that a child is or may be in need of protection, where the information on which that suspicion is based was obtained in the course of his or her professional or official duties, is liable on conviction to a fine of up to $5,000.
You don’t need to be sure! If you suspect that a child is being abused or neglected, call us. It is our job to investigate. If you are reporting suspected child abuse or neglect, or requesting a service Tikinagan provides coverage 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All calls and online submissions are confidential.
We have a moral obligation to protect our children from harm, so that they can live in safety and grow up to become our community’s leaders.
Every adult in Ontario has a legal obligation to report known or suspected child abuse or neglect to a Children’s Aid Society. Tikinagan Child and Family Services is the Children’s Aid Society for First Nations children in our catchment area (see Our Communities: link to communities page), so if you know or suspect that a child is being abused, call us right away at 1-800-465-3624, 24-hours a day. If your concern is not immediate or you don’t have access to a phone, you may also make a report using our confidential online form.
We’re always available to talk about your concerns, and the information you give us, including your identity, will remain confidential whenever possible.
Definition of a Child in Need of Protection
- Physical harm/risk of physical harm
- Sexual harm/risk of sexual harm
- Medical treatment
- Emotional harm/risk of emotional harm
- Mental, emotional or developmental condition
- Abandonment
- Less than 12 years and killed or seriously injured another person or seriously damaged property
You don’t need to be sure!
If you suspect that a child is being abused or neglected, call us. It is our job to investigate.
If you are reporting suspected child abuse or neglect, or requesting a service Tikinagan provides:
We have coverage 24 hours a day, 7 days a week here at Tikinagan. All calls are confidential. If your concern is not immediate or you don’t have access to a phone, you may also make a report using our confidential online form.
Find out more about the Duty to Report