Children's Aid Society of Toronto recently issued the following announcement.

COVID-19: Message from our CEO

COVID-19 Respoinse

Hello,

At Children’s Aid Society of Toronto, the health and safety of our staff and the communities we serve remains our priority and we are taking proactive measures to reduce the possible spread of COVID-19. We are sharing this message to keep our community, partners and clients informed and up-to-date on our response to COVID-19 and the changes we’re making to our daily operations and services. It is important to understand that we are continuing services and our staff remains available to support the children, youth and families that we serve.

SITE CLOSURES

Following the guidance of local, provincial and federal governments, as of March 18, 2020, 9AM until April 6, 2020, 9AM, our sites at 843 Kennedy Road (Scarborough), 20 De Boers Drive (North York) and 30 Isabella (Toronto), along with our Pape Adolescent Resource Centre (PARC), will be closed and signage has been posted to that effect. Community members and those with Health Services appointments are encouraged to call their workers or clinic and assistance will be provided. Or please call our main line for further support: (416) 924-4646Call: (416) 924-4646.

SERVICE MODIFICATIONS

As part of our efforts to support reducing the spread of COVID-19 all face-to-face client services will be determined on a case-by-case basis. This service modification will be reviewed daily and our hope is to return to regular operations once it’s safer to do so. Our child protection workers continue to take referral information 24-7 and to respond to all emergency and high-risk situations. All other services will continue through staff who will be working remotely.

CONTINUING SERVICES

Any face-to-face contact between our workers and clients will include the use of COVID-19 screening protocols, as directed by Public Health.

The following services will continue:

We are taking community reports about child welfare concerns. To report an incident or concern, please call (416) 924-4646 and press 5 for assistance.

Our Moberly residence will continue to be operational and provide 24-hour day services to youth in our care.

Our staff are available to assist children, youth and families and we will continue to reach out to our clients using remote technology, as required.

OUR COMMITMENT TO OUR COMMUNITY

Our leadership teams continue to meet regularly to assess our services and to ensure the safety of our staff, partners and clients. Through these changes, we are still operational as an organization and we are all committed to being present and available for our community. We will continue to update our website and social media channels regarding any further changes to our services.

Thank you for your cooperation as we continue to navigate the services we provide through these turbulent times. From our families to you and yours, hoping you stay safe and healthy.

Paul Rosebush

CEO of Children's Aid Society of Toronto

Original source: https://torontocas.ca/news/covid-19-message-our-ceo