Helping Children in Need Requires Broad Solutions

Document Type

News Article

Publication Date

4-17-2017

Abstract

Two months ago, I left the board of directors of the Children’s Aid Society of Toronto (CAST), where I oversaw diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives as vice chair. After nearly four years of volunteer service, I concluded that I need to be outside of the child welfare system in order to support those fighting the inequalities inside of it.

I started volunteering at CAST after graduating from law school because of my concerns about racial disparities. In particular, I was concerned about the large overrepresentation of black families in the system. African-Canadian youth make up a staggering 41 per cent of youth in CAST’s care, which is five times the number of black residents in Toronto’s overall population.

I was part of a group of CAST board members and staff working to understand and change these kinds of statistics. We hired a director of diversity and anti-oppression to figure out how the organization can improve all aspects of its operations. We also commissioned relevant research reports from CAST’s Child Welfare Institute and created a black stakeholders advisory group to engage with concerned citizens. Our CEO and board chairs made racial disparities a top priority for the organization.

Publication Title

Toronto Star

Link to Full Text

Request a copy that is accessible using assistive technology (link opens in a new window)

Share

COinS