Crown ward
Encyclopedia
A ward of the state, also known as a Crown ward is a term used in Canada
to describe a foster child
who has been made the legal responsibility of the government. The Children's Aid Society (Canada)
or a court can make a child a Crown ward if the child cannot be reunited with his/her natural family. If the child has been considered a Crown ward, the child will be adopted by a family with the same status and rights as if the child was born in the family, or remain in foster care or a group home until tthey opt to leave at age 16 or become of age. When the ward reaches 18 (and under 'special consideration', 16) they qualify for Extended Care and Maintenance (ECM) which covers the child's basic needs and expenses while they continue their schooling until they reach they age of 21, at which point all ties are severed between the child and the 'responsibility' of the government. If however, the lifestyle of the ward breaches the contract they are expected sign (without legal representation of their own) in the presence of the social worker, who is presumably at the time looking out for the best interests of the child, their assitance is then severed immediately, provided the child is at the time, over the age of 16 (which of course they are if they qualified for ECM to begin with).
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
to describe a foster child
Foster Child
Foster Child is a 1987 documentary film by Gil Cardinal, exploring the filmmaker's search, at age thirty-five, for biological family. Cardinal often meets with frustration during his search, but eventually finds his natural family and discovers his Métis roots.This National Film Board of Canada...
who has been made the legal responsibility of the government. The Children's Aid Society (Canada)
Children's Aid Society (Canada)
The Children's Aid Societies of Ontario, Canada, are independent organizations empowered by the Ontario government to perform child protection services. The declared goal is to "promote the best interests, protection and well being of children"...
or a court can make a child a Crown ward if the child cannot be reunited with his/her natural family. If the child has been considered a Crown ward, the child will be adopted by a family with the same status and rights as if the child was born in the family, or remain in foster care or a group home until tthey opt to leave at age 16 or become of age. When the ward reaches 18 (and under 'special consideration', 16) they qualify for Extended Care and Maintenance (ECM) which covers the child's basic needs and expenses while they continue their schooling until they reach they age of 21, at which point all ties are severed between the child and the 'responsibility' of the government. If however, the lifestyle of the ward breaches the contract they are expected sign (without legal representation of their own) in the presence of the social worker, who is presumably at the time looking out for the best interests of the child, their assitance is then severed immediately, provided the child is at the time, over the age of 16 (which of course they are if they qualified for ECM to begin with).