Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada is our country’s leading charity dedicated to improving the lives of children, youth, and families involved with the child welfare system.

Child welfare in Canada

Right now, approximately 59,000 children and youth across Canada are living in permanent government care with foster families, extended family, or in institutional settings. At least 300,000 more are living in vulnerable or unstable circumstances and are significantly at risk of abuse or neglect.

Poverty, addiction, mental health challenges, isolation, and intergenerational trauma are a few of the most common reasons children are removed from their homes and placed in government care.

But coming into care is never a child’s fault. These kids need our help; we believe all children deserve love, care, and access to the same opportunities to thrive.

Why support is critical

Children who enter and grow up in care face devastating outcomes:

• The average youth in care moves between 5 foster homes and 5 schools, disrupting their lives with each move
• Less than 50% of kids in care graduate from high school
• Young people involved in the child welfare system are 200 times more likely to experience homelessness than the general population

Funds raised through Teddy Bear Adventure make a direct and lasting impact on the lives of children and youth

• Funding programs that strengthen families so that kids are supported in a safe and nurturing environment, preventing them from coming into government care
• Giving kids in care access to programs that help keep them on track at school like tutoring, mentoring, and extra-curricular activities like sports and the arts
• Empowering young people leaving government care to gain access to resources and supports such as scholarships, employment-readiness supports, mental health supports and housing supports to be better equipped to navigate life on their own and build meaningful futures

To learn more, visit cafdn.org or read our latest Annual Report.