October 20, 1999

To: Community Services Committee

From: Councillor Olivia Chow and Councillor Pam McConnell

Subject: Toronto Report Card on Children and the Children and Youth Action committee Action Plan

Purpose:

To seek Council's adoption of the Toronto Report Card on Children and the CYAC Action Plan, and to request that the Commissioners of Community and Neighbourhood Services and Economic Development Culture and Tourism report back through the Community Services Committee and the Economic Development and Parks Committee , respectively, on the program details and budget implications of the CYAC Action Plan during the 2000 budget process.

Financial Implications and Impact Statement:

It is requested through this report that the financial implications of the CYAC Action Plan be identified by the Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services and the Commissioner of Economic Development Culture and Tourism and reported through standing committees during the 2000 budget process.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that:

(1) Council adopt the Toronto Report Card on Children 1999;

(2) Council adopt the CYAC Action Plan;

(3) The Commissioners of Community and Neighbourhood Services and Economic Development Culture and Tourism report back through their respective standing committees on the program details and financial implications of these recommendations during the 2000 budget process; and

(4) the appropriate City Officials be authorized and directed to take the necessary action to give effect thereto.

Background:

In spring 1998, the Children and Youth Action Committee gave its approval to the production of a Report Card on Children. Following a process that included a one-day meeting of children's services professionals and politicians, and a series of community meetings, a framework for the new report card was developed and then approved by Council early in 1999.

Since January 1999, a technical working group, composed of staff from city departments nad representatives from other organizations in the children's services sector met regularly to identify indicators, discuss the handling of the data, and to shape the final structure and content of the report card. The working group was led by Toronto Children's Services, and included representatives from Toronto Public Health, Toronto Public Library, Toronto Parks and Recreation, Social Development and Administration, Toronto Police Service, the Toronto District School Board, the Toronto Catholic District School Board, the Children's Aid Society of Toronto, the Catholic Children's Aid Society of Toronto, and the Jewish Family and Child Service of Toronto.

This spring, the policy subcommittee of the Children and Youth Action Committee, chaired by Councillor Pam McConnell, began identifying areas for investment, service coordination and advocacy in response to the findings from the report card. As well, the subcommittee also spearheaded a CYAC initiative to produce ward level reports, which contain demographic and services information on children for each ward in the City.

On October 14, 1999, a press conference was held to release the Toronto Report Card on Children 1999, the Children and Youth Action Committee's Action Plan (attached) and the ward reports. The Toronto Report Card and the local ward reports are being distributed broadly throughout the City. Each Councillor will receive copies of their local ward reports for distribution.

Comments:

The Toronto Report Card on Children 1999 uses a variety of indicators considered to be significant measures of the health and well-being of children and maps them at the local-area level. The distribution of programs and facilities serving children is also mapped. In some cases, targets for improvements, or benchmarks, have been linked to the indicators.

As identified by the CYAC in its action plan, the Report Card provides confirmation that the situation of many children in this City desperately needs improving. Risk factors like poverty are rising for families (38% of children under 10 live in poverty, up 66% since 1991), while health outcomes and access to services like affordable childcare, (where there is a 13, 000 child waiting list) are inadequate. The report card identifies that 40,000 children are on waiting lists for affordable housing, and over 1,000 children live in shelters for the homeless

The CYAC Action plan is based on the objectives set out in the Children's Charter, and the related goals adopted by City Council in February 1999. The CYAC has worked to identify areas where the City can begin work now on improving the situation for children. Our Action Plan focuses on three areas: program investments to reduce risk factors and expand services that mitigate those risks; service coordination; and advocacy. We believe this plan is the necessary first step for Council to take in meeting its commitments to the children of this City. The CYAC asks that Council adopt the recommendations outlined in our Action Plan. Further, we are recommending that the Commissioners of Community and Neighbourhood Services and Economic Development, Culture and Tourism report through their respective standing committees on the program and financial implications of these recommendations for the 2000 budget process.

Conclusions:

The Toronto Report Card on Children has shown that an increasing number of children are exposed to increasingly severe risk factors. The Children and Youth Action Committee has developed an action plan that the City must adopt to effectively counteract some of these risk factors, and improve the wellbeing of children in this City. These are sets that Council has the power to take now, in the 2000 budget process. We recommend Council adopt the TorontoReport Card on Children 1999, the CYAC Action Plan. Further, we recommend that the Commissioners of Community and Neighbourhood Services and Economic Development, Culture and Tourism report through their respective standing committees on the program and financial implications of these recommendations for the 2000 budget process.

Contact:

Councillor Pam McConnell

392-7916

Councillor Olivia Chow Councillor Pam McConnell

List of Attachments:

Action Plan for the Children's Report Card 1999