Did Children's Aid drop ball on Neveah?

The girl found dead in a dumpster had formerly been in society care in both Toronto and York Region

- JENNIFER PAGLIARO AND WENDY GILLIS

A sketch released by police of the girl whose body was found in a dumpster in May 2022. She was later identified as Neveah, who had been released from CAS care just months earlier.

The question of how children’s aid societies decide when a child is in need of care — and when that protection is no longer required — is at the centre of the story of Neveah, the girl whose remains were found in a dumpster in Rosedale.

As detailed by the Star, Neveah spent time in the care of both the Children’s Aid Society (CAS) of Toronto and York Region Children’s Aid Society before CAS Toronto made the decision to request her file be closed in March 2021.

Months later, she would be dead.

The laws and policies governing child protective services in Ontario set out specific rules for how a child can enter the welfare system and under what circumstances they should be placed back in the care of their birth families.

A key consideration is the idea of permanency — children having a supportive, stable home life.

“The goal of child welfare agencies is to support children to live safely with their primary caregivers,” says the website for the Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies, an umbrella organization for CAS Toronto and other agencies.

“When that is not possible, child welfare agencies look for another family to provide safety, security and support.”

The process starts with intake, where any information received by a CAS about a child potentially in need of protection — called a referral — is assessed. That worker follows several steps, including investigating the incident or concern that led to the referral and the adults responsible for that child.