Responding to safety concerns and chronic needs: trends over time

For the past 20 years, the Ontario child welfare sector has made significant legislative and policy changes. Changes to legislation and policy can impact the public and sector's response to child maltreatment and inform identified trends. Using an investigative taxonomy of urgent protection and chronic need this paper examines the shift in the nature of investigated maltreatment over time.We acknowledge the support of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Canada Research Chair in Child Welfare (#950-231186). Funding for the five cycles of the OIS was provided by the Ministry of Children and Youth Services