News & Events

We welcome end of Birth Alerts in Ontario

We applaud the discontinued use of birth alerts in the province of Ontario. We know and understand the concerns of families, our First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities we serve, and the other service organizations with whom we work alongside to support them.  We strongly believe in and will continue to work hard to engage and support all families and we know it is critically important to work effectively when it concerns pre- and post-natal support. 

Today, Jill Dunlop, Associate Minister of Children and Women’s Issues, announced the province is eliminating the practice of birth alerts. Birth alerts are notifications sent by children’s aid societies to hospitals when they believe a newborn may be in need of protection. The new approach will improve pre- and post-natal services by promoting collaboration between children’s aid societies, hospitals, service providers, Indigenous partners and community-based service providers. Ending the use of birth alerts was a recommendation from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.