What happens to decision-making responsibility if a child becomes a Crown ward?

When a child becomes a Crown ward, the Crown - acting through a children's aid society - generally takes on guardianship of the child, which typically replaces the parents' authority to make decisions for the child while the wardship remains in place. This is a significant, and often longer-term, outcome that a child protection court orders only after finding a child is in need of protection and that less intrusive options wouldn't adequately protect them.

This is different from "decision-making responsibility" as that term is used in a family law dispute between parents under the Divorce Act or the Children's Law Reform Act - a Crown wardship isn't a family court awarding one parent authority over the other; it's a child protection court removing that authority from the parents generally and placing it with the Crown. If the parents also have an existing or ongoing family court case, a Crown wardship order is a major development that effectively overtakes the practical question of decision-making, since neither parent holds that authority while the wardship continues. Parents facing a Crown wardship application should get legal representation as early in the process as possible, since it's one of the most serious outcomes in child protection law.