Crisis lines

By law, any individual (including professionals, officials and members of the public) witnessing or with reasonable grounds to suspect an act of child abuse, neglect, abandonment, desertion or need for protection must report the incident to: Halton Children"s Aid Society, 905-333-4441 If the matter is urgent and the Children"s Aid Society cannot be reached, call Halton Regional Police Service, 905-825-4777 ext 8970 The Duty to Report applies to any child who is, or appears to be, under the age of 16 years, and to children already under a child protection order who are 16 and 17 years old On January 1, 2018, Ontario raised the age of protection from 16 to 18. A professional, or member of the public, who is concerned that a 16 or 17 year old is or may be in need of protection may, but is not required to, make a report to a society and the society is required to assess the reported information The Duty to Report applies even when the information is otherwise confidential or privileged, and overrides any other provincial statutes, specifically any provisions that would otherwise prohibit someone from making a disclosure. Visit Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect: It"s Your Duty which provides definitions as well as responsibilities of professionals, officials and members of the public under the Child and Family Services Act (or download brochure here)