Child protection agencies say more children and youth being temporarily placed in hotels

Children's Aid Societies (CAS) in Ontario say they're facing a crisis when it comes to finding placements for children in need of care.

Agenciesare voicing concerns about a growing trend oftemporarily placing more children and youth into hotels, motels, and short-term rentals instead of foster or group homes. They say a decline in the number of available beds and a lack of funding and resources are straining the system.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) surveyed27 CUPE locals representing CAS workers at its agencies andfound that two-thirds of agencies have placed children as young as two in motels, hotels, and short-term rentals, or offices in the last year, with the majority having done so multiple times.

"The young people who come into contact with the child protection system are some of the most vulnerable and most in need of support. Motels are no place to provide that care. Hotels cannot help traumatized children rebuild trust. And cots in offices will never replace a properly staffed home," said Fred Hahn, president of CUPE Ontario, in a statement.

"We know what proper care looks like, and this isn't it."

The situation is a growing concern among CAS agencies across the province, not just those represented by CUPE.

Elaina Groves is the CEO of CAS Sudbury-Manitoulin, which is represented by Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU).

She said they are also facing the same situation but at a more frequent rate than in the past.

"We've had kids in hotels before, but never at the numbers like this and the length of stay. Never at this rate," said Groves.

"My concern is that we're seeing numbers like we haven't seen before and we don't think this is just an anomaly. We think this is exactly what we're going to be continuing to see."

Groves confirmed that in the last six months, their agency had three youths placed in hotel rooms, with one of those youths staying for 40 days before being moved to an AirBnB. She said they currently have two youths staying in hotels.

She said no children or youth should be placed in hotels but it is sometimes the last resort because there are not enough resources available, noting there is a shortage of foster homes. She added that any child placed in a hotel is safe and supervised by staff at all times.

Groves said that vulnerable youth and children who present with complex needs are often disadvantaged by the situation and don't get the support they need in hotels versus a home-care setting.

"It's challenging enough for all kids, but when you take a child with complex needs, you can't place them in a hotel, you can't place them in a public setting," explained Groves.

"You cannot provide the adequate kind of care for a child or youth presenting in that way while in a hotel room, it doesn't work."

Groves said CASis working with other community agencies in Greater Sudbury to try and find other solutions. However, she said an overall gap in youth services in the city continues to be a barrier to finding alternative options.

She said more conversations with all levels of government need to take place to find a better solution and to increase funding, with many CAS agencies running deficits each year.

"We are in a deficit and we'll continue to spend into a deficit because we have to, because kids need a place to go," said Groves.

"This is a problem that we need to be doing collectively and need to be doing with government. We are hoping that our government will join the table on those discussions and work with us to find these solutions because we are struggling to do it on our own."

In a statement to CBC News, Ontario's Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services said when it comes to placement decisions, it requires children's aid societies to make placements that are safe, appropriate, and meet children's needs.

The Ministry also said it continues to increase funding to child welfare societies to support children and youth.

"We have increased funding this year by approximately $14 million for child protection services, in addition to last year's $76.3 million increase, and $109 million for children and youth services, in addition to last year's $92.4 million increase," the statement said.

The Ministry added it is also providing $13.5 million over three years to enhance initiatives that support women, children, youth, and others who are at increased risk of violence or exploitation.