UN Sustainable Development Goals

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  Good health and well-being

  The Issue Unlike children and youth from permanent families, those in the child welfare system lack access to enrichment opportunities and physical and mental health supports. Nearly every young person involved in child welfare has experienced trauma, which often leads to mental health challenges, an increased risk of serious illness in adulthood, and physical, cognitive, and intellectual deficits. 82% of kids in care are diagnosed with special needs, including physical, cognitive, emotional, behavioural, and social problems. How Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada Helps By standing up for vulnerable kids through Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada, you can provide children and youth in and from care with the enrichment and mental and physical health supports they need to heal and thrive. Supports include: • Access to sports, arts, camp, and cultural activities • Mental health navigation including wellness groups and one-on-one counseling or therapy • Funding for prescriptions, dental work, glasses and medical devices

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  Quality education

  The Issue Young people in and from the child welfare system face incredible odds to achieve an education. Less than half of youth involved with foster care will graduate from high school. Disruptions to their education, like moving between foster placements or unstable home environments, mean they often graduate high school later than their peers. When and if they do graduate, they are likely to have lower grades, and less than half pursue a post-secondary degree. They also face additional barriers, like mental illness, a lack of family support, and the pressure of supporting themselves financially. How Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada Helps By standing up for vulnerable kids through Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada, you can provide children and youth in and from care with the supports they need to complete their education and create a lifetime of unstoppable successes.   Supports include: • Scholarships and bursaries • Tutoring • Funding for school supplies, computers and other school related expenses

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  Decent work and economic growth

  The Issue Thousands of young people in government or foster care “age out” of child welfare when they turn 18 or 19 (depending on their home province or territory). This means they can no longer live with their foster family and, at 21, they lose access to all supports, including a social worker and other resources. Without the necessary supports to become self-sufficient, too often youth exit the child welfare system into homelessness and poverty. Youth aging out of care earn about $326,000 less over their lifespan than the average Canadian. How Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada Helps By standing up for vulnerable youth through Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada, you can provide those who are transitioning from care with the supports they need to remove the barriers they face to lasting employment. Supports include: • Employment counselling and group workshops • Career development and networking opportunities • Help securing stable housing

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  Reduced inequalities

  The Issue Decades of research shows poor outcomes for children and youth who remain in care when compared to their peers, including lower academic achievement, higher unemployment or underemployment, increased incidence of homelessness, involvement in the criminal justice system, and poor mental health outcomes. Marginalized groups are also highly overrepresented in the child welfare system. Over half of the foster children in Canada are Indigenous, despite Indigenous children only accounting for 7.7% of the child population and Black youth are over-represented in Toronto’s foster care system at five times their representation in the city’s population. Prevention initiatives can help avoid these negative outcomes and help children and youth stay with families in their own communities. How Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada Helps By standing up for vulnerable youth through Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada, you can provide families with the supports that prevent children and youth from coming into care. Supports include: • Support for kin families • Community development • Cultural experiences for marginalized groups