Today, I am releasing a special follow-up report by Ontario’s Auditor General on his 2006 audit of four children’s aid societies and our ministry’s child welfare services program. My predecessor, the Honourable Mary Anne Chambers, requested this report one year earlier than the Auditor’s normal two-year follow-up period to ensure that the Auditor’s recommendations were being implemented.

I would like to offer my sincere thanks to the Auditor and his staff for the work they have done; our system is stronger because of their efforts. We are absolutely committed to supporting children in our care so that they have the opportunity to achieve their full potential. We will continue to ensure that every dollar we provide to societies is spent efficiently and focused on improving outcomes for our children.

The Auditor recognizes that my ministry and the four children’s aid societies have taken last year’s recommendations seriously and have subsequently taken immediate action. For this I’d like to thank my ministry staff and the hard-working and dedicated staff at the societies.

As a result of our action plan we have:

• Created an Accountability Office to toughen enforcement and monitor children's aid societies;
• Required societies to implement higher standards for procurement, travel and other expenses; and
• Required societies to sign service agreements tied to these higher standards.

Our government has always been welcoming and responsive to the recommendations of the Auditor. Our reforms are helping societies operate more effectively, efficiently and with greater accountability.

As the Auditor notes, much has been accomplished over the last year and there is still more to do. We will continue to look for ways to strengthen the funding model and will continue to work with societies to ensure they are accountable and providing the best possible service in the most efficient manner.

To access the Auditor’s report, please visit www.auditor.on.ca.

Deb Matthews
Minister