Native Child and Family Services of Toronto

Native Child and Family Services of Toronto stands as one of the most significant expressions of urban aboriginality. We are proud to be a leader in the field of Native human services in Canada.The founders were concerned about the high number of children in the care of Children’s Aid Societies and by the issues, such as poverty, addictions, family violence, and homelessness, confronting Native families in the city. The founders were further concerned that while the Native family had many issues before it, few services within the mainstream sector were available to meet the needs of an increasingly voiceless and marginalized community.Native Child and Family Services is a Children’s Aid Society under the Child and Family Services Act. As such we have a mandate to protect children from all forms of maltreatment and to provide residential care for those children who need it. Although we take the protection and care of our children very seriously, we recognize that we must do what we can to help families and children who need assistance. As a result, we see our responsibilities as including the provision of support services to all family members. Our many support services include:The largest Aboriginal Head Start program in the Country;Summer resident and day camps;An Ontario Early Years Centre;Youth programs including the Native Learning Centre and 7th Generation Image Makers;Children’s mental health services and case management;The Scarborough Child and Family Life Centre;Developmental services;Youth outreach services including transitional housing.The community we serveThe Native population of Toronto is estimated at 60,000 adults and children. Of these, approximately 45,000 are status Indians; the others are Métis, non-status and Inuit.