As reported by The Star:Eight months after the Ford government imposed deeper background checks for people who work with vulnerable children, some police forces across the province are refusing to issue them, saying the changes raise privacy concerns and may contradict existing laws.The new requirement is also causing widespread confusion at child welfare agencies and organizations that provide services to children and youth, including group homes and foster care providers.The law now requires anyone working with kids under the Child, Youth and Family Services Act to obtain a broad record check — a more extensive background search than previously mandated. Under the new check, law enforcement agencies must disclose “every contact between the person and a police service for which there is a written record,” which could include mental health crisis calls and non-criminal police encounters, such as noise complaints or 911 calls by victims of domestic violence.The Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police, which represents the province’s police leaders, was not consulted on the changes before they came into force, a spokesperson told the Star. José Luís Couto said police services have had concerns with how the new provisions may be in conflict with federal legislation, including the Criminal Records Act.Under the updated legislation, all interactions with police must be disclosed unless the information is “not relevant to the person’s suitability to perform caregiving duties for a child” — a clause that leaves it up to individual police forces to decide what information to release, leaving room for inconsistent interpretation across the province.
