Examining Child Maltreatment-Related Investigations of Children from Newcomer and non-Newcomer Households in Ontario, Canada

Abstract

Objectives: The study aims to further the understanding of child welfare involvement with Newcomer families in Ontario, Canada in 2018. This study examines a) the rate and characteristics of child maltreatment-related investigations involving Newcomer families and b) differences in child maltreatment-related investigations between Newcomer and non-Newcomer families.
 
 Methods: This study is a secondary data analysis of the Ontario Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect-2018 (OIS-2018). Using Statistics Canada Census Data, the Population-based Disparity Index (PDI) was calculated for Newcomer and non-Newcomer families. Descriptive and bivariate chi-square analyses were conducted to determine characteristics of investigations involving Newcomer and non-Newcomer households.
 
 Results: The PDI of the incidence of maltreatment-related investigations involving children under the age of 15 from Newcomer households versus non-Newcomer households in Ontario in 2018 is 2.48.
 
 Implications: The findings suggest that a child maltreatment-related investigation is more than twice as likely to occur if the investigation involves a child from a Newcomer household, when compared a non-Newcomer household in Ontario. This study demonstrates a need for further collaboration with Newcomer communities and their social service providers to better understand risk factors of child welfare involvement, and to increase protective factors for children from Newcomer families.

Navigating “Safety” in a Pandemic: A Critical Examination of Ontario Child Welfare Safety Interventions for Newcomer Parents and Other Families During the Covid-19 Pandemic

“…Prior to the pandemic, it was also reported that disproportionately high numbers of immigrant children and families in large Canadian metropolitan centers encounter child protection services and that these encounters do not always result in improved child and family well-being (Alaggia & Vine, 2013) due to intersecting challenges of poverty, racism, and cultural misunderstanding (Contenta et al, 2014;Fallon et al, 2016). In Ontario, where this study took place, of every 1,000 children in newcomer households, 134 were involved in a child maltreatment-related investigation (Houston et al, 2021). For non-newcomer households, 54 of every 1,000 children were involved in a child maltreatment-related investigation (Houston et al, 2021), a figure indicating that, among families in Canada, newcomers are more likely than non-newcomers to become involved with child welfare services.…”

“…In Ontario, where this study took place, of every 1,000 children in newcomer households, 134 were involved in a child maltreatment-related investigation (Houston et al, 2021). For non-newcomer households, 54 of every 1,000 children were involved in a child maltreatment-related investigation (Houston et al, 2021), a figure indicating that, among families in Canada, newcomers are more likely than non-newcomers to become involved with child welfare services.…”