Archive for the ‘Child & Family’ Category

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One solution to the current autism funding crisis

Wednesday, February 27th, 2019

… parent-mediated models have been running since 2016, with regular reporting to the ministry. In many cases, parents and toddlers are making significant gains. While these particular models may not be the solution for all children and families, the resource efficiency of parent-mediated models makes this an appealing approach worthy of further investment and exploration.

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Attorney General Caroline Mulroney boosts rape crisis centre funding by $1 million

Wednesday, February 27th, 2019

A decade ago, they logged 30,000 calls a year — now, more than 50,000… “This is funding that was committed to the centres last spring, which has not been disbursed … Survivors in our province deserve predictable multi-year funding that enables organizations to have stability. This one-time handout falls woefully short of what is needed to tackle staggering waiting lists across Ontario to access counselling.”

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Questions swirl around therapy at centre of Ontario’s autism changes

Saturday, February 23rd, 2019

About one in 66 children in Canada is diagnosed with autism. More than 100,000 Ontarians, including about 40,000 kids, have the disorder… The lack of consultation with adults living with autism has been a longtime concern for Dr. Kevin Stoddart, director of the Toronto-based Redpath Centre, Ontario’s largest mental health treatment centre for adults and youth on the autism spectrum… the mental health of people with autism requires “more focused investigation.”

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Ontario autism program changes ‘best for all children,’ says social services minister

Wednesday, February 20th, 2019

… the government has promised to clear the wait lists for diagnosis and therapy, and will introduce a childhood budget allowing families to choose the services they want. Families will be eligible for up to $20,000 a year for children under 6 — up to a lifetime maximum of $140,000. Children older than that can access up to $5,000 a year up to age 18, to a lifetime maximum of $55,000. However, only families earning less than $55,000 in net income will qualify for the full funding amounts.

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Treats are nice. But they don’t replace funding for crisis centres

Tuesday, February 19th, 2019

Charitable gifts serve to remind women that they have not been forgotten. What does that even more effectively is making sure a qualified person answers the crisis hotline, and that counselling will be available during a woman’s greatest hour of need. But the wait-list for counselling at the Toronto Rape Crisis Centre… is a staggering 18 months. “You should not have to wait a year and a half to get access to the services you need”

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The Ford government should invest properly in child care

Monday, February 11th, 2019

The Ford government could invest wisely in child care, as so many other provinces do. It’s not only the right thing to do for families; it’s the right thing for businesses and the economy as well. Study after study shows that affordable, accessible, quality child care does the most to help women get back into the workforce, boost family incomes, improve early childhood skills for poor kids, add to government tax coffers, reduce child poverty, and shrink the wage gap.

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Ontario’s rape crisis centres urge Ford government to keep promise to boost funding

Wednesday, January 23rd, 2019

That promise, made by the previous Liberal government last March, was a 33 per cent increase in funding over three years to address skyrocketing demand for sex-assault services… With the rise of the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, community-based sexual assault centres have seen a significant upswing in calls and requests for support.”… In one year alone, centres have been swamped dealing with more than 50,000 calls, up from almost a decade ago when they took 30,000 such calls.

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Ottawa Wins from Ontario’s Proposed Childcare Rebate

Saturday, January 19th, 2019

The newly elected government in Ontario pledged in its electoral platform to implement a childcare rebate program, which would reimburse up to 75 percent of the childcare expenses of low-income families, with the childcare subsidy rate gradually declining as family income grows… Over the first few years, we expect about 60,000 stay-at-home mothers to enter the workforce.

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Canada’s Two-Parent Tax Trap and How to Fix It

Friday, January 4th, 2019

In 2017, about 9 percent of employed parents contemplating earning a few extra dollars, and about 13 percent of stay-at-home parents contemplating getting a job, faced an effective tax rate higher than 50 percent. Prohibitive effective tax rates matter because they may discourage work, particularly for the lower-earning parent in a family. Beyond not adding to the problem by piling on new income-tested benefits on top of existing ones, governments can help fix this

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How many Torontonians does it take to open a daycare?

Thursday, December 13th, 2018

The most precious quailed at the thought of hearing children at play. “The idea of tolerating (it) is frankly ludicrous, and completely incongruent with this, or any other, residential corner in this city,” one couple wrote to the city. More reasonable folks claim daycare in Cabbagetown is a fine idea, just “not on this particular street,” because it is “too narrow,” with “too many cars on it.” That describes all streets in Cabbagetown, though.

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