What does it mean if my child is placed under a temporary care and custody agreement with a children's aid society?

A temporary care and custody agreement is a written agreement, made under the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017, between a parent and a children's aid society, placing a child in the society's care for a set period without the society first proving in court that the child needs protection. It's meant to be a cooperative, short-term arrangement rather than a punishment - often used where a parent needs time to address a crisis (housing, hospitalization, addiction treatment) and agrees the child is safer in the society's care meanwhile.

Signing one doesn't end your status as the child's parent, and it doesn't transfer permanent guardianship - but while it's in effect, the society has day-to-day authority over the child, and your access (the CYFSA's own term for time with the child) is usually set out in the agreement itself. If you already have a separate family court parenting case with the other parent, this agreement can affect that case, since the child's actual living arrangement has changed. Read the terms carefully before signing, ask what happens when it ends, and speak with a lawyer first if at all possible.