How Your Donation Helps...
A donation to the Catholic Children's Aid Society of Hamilton helps support our work with children and families. Your gift can brighten children's lives in our community!
Protecting Children
Prevention is Key
We believe that the best way to deal with child abuse and neglect is to prevent it. That's why we encourage people to contact us before their family problems get out of control. We can help them through the rough times, and support and strengthen their family so they're able to parent their children safely.
“Children are the living messages we send,
to a time we will not see.”
— What message will you help send?
Raising Children is Not Easy
Even in the best of circumstances it's a job that takes a lot of time, energy and patience.
It's even harder when you also have to cope with serious problems like poverty, unemployment, inadequate housing, ill health, relationship breakdown, or the challenge of caring for children with physical, emotional or developmental difficulties.
Families in these circumstances come under a lot of stress. This can harm family relationships, and distressed parents may abuse or neglect their children. Sadly, the cycle of abuse often perpetuates itself - with abused children becoming abusive adults.
Child Protection is Our Responsibility
Child protection is our ultimate responsibility. Therefore we must intervene in any situation where a child under 16 has been, or is threatened with, physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse, or neglect.
Because children are almost always better off growing up in their own homes, we try to keep families together whenever we can. Most of the families we work with receive help through counselling and various support services to create safe homes for their children. If that fails, we may seek a court order to supervise children in their own homes, or place them in an alternate home.