What Proof Do You Need to Show You Are a Child's Relative or Family Friend for CAS in Ontario?

Which documents a society asks for can depend on how you are connected to the child, so it is worth confirming with a lawyer or the society itself. Gather anything that shows your link and be ready to explain the relationship in your own words. Ask the society what it needs in your case.

The law defines who counts. A relative is the child's grandparent, great-uncle, great-aunt, uncle or aunt, including through a spousal relationship or adoption. Extended family means persons related to the child, including through a spousal relationship or adoption, and for First Nations, Inuk or Métis children also includes members of their bands and communities.

If you are not related, you may still qualify. A member of the child's community includes a person who has a beneficial and meaningful relationship with the child or a member of the child's family, and a person with ethnic, cultural or creedal ties in common with the child or a family member. Before a planned kin placement, the society must interview the caregiver, meet the child privately and review records.