Our Approach

The Children’s Aid Society is about 150 years old yet there are 30,000 children and youth in Canada without permanent families.

UTLC BELIEVES THAT INVESTING IN INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS HELPS EVERYONE – ESPECIALLY THE KIDS

  • ULTC brings new funding and global child welfare best practices to the agenda
  • We work collaboratively with government, child welfare agencies, academia and communities

BY THE NUMBERS:

  • $15-20 K* : Rough cost to find a child a permanent loving home under this new model
  • $40 K* : Rough average cost of care (per year) in the public system
  • On average, a child comes into care at 8 years old and leaves at about 18 years old, cycling through multiple temporary homes.
  • Average cost of care in public system, per child: $400 K*
  • When kids transition out of government care at 18, their experiences are not what we hope for them (see below) and the GDP impacts to Canada are significant.

Innovative solutions really do help everyone.
* costs will fluctuate with individual circumstances

THE ISSUE

This is a problem Canadians have the power to solve. The current system that manages child welfare issues is complex, costly and fragmented. Each province has its own model. There is no national tracking system.

A 2013 Ipsos Reid survey found that 8% of Canadians rank “children at risk or in foster care” as their most important charitable cause.

These children deserve better.

A VICIOUS CYCLE OF UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES

for kids who have been in the care of government

Vicious Cycle


* “Youth Leaving Care – How Do they Fare” by MISWAA – child help.org
* 25 is the new 21 – Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth
* Conference Board of Canada Report – Success for All
* When Youth Age Out of Care, Where to go from There – School of Social Work, University of Victoria