by Danielle Ungara, BSW, MSW, RSW, CWICE Manager, Peel CAS, & Liz Okai, BSW, MSW, RSW, CWICE Manager, Peel CAS
Canada’s immigration landscape is shifting rapidly, with new policies and legislation introduced in 2025. As well, Canada’s most recent census in 2021 found significant demographic changes. For the first time in our history, one in four people living in Canada were born outside of Canada (Statistics Canada, 2022). Combined these changes mean that child welfare systems are increasingly impacted and intersecting with children, youth, and their families who are refugees and immigrants. These individuals’ and families’ experiences vary considerably; they have distinct identities, pathways to and inside Canada, they hold unique experiences which may be shaped by various or precarious immigration status, cultural adaptation and transitions, trauma and systemic barriers. The Child Welfare Immigration Centre of Excellence (CWICE), operated by Peel Children’s Aid Society (Peel CAS) was created in 2018 to address this critical intersection. Today, CWICE is widely recognized for its innovation integrating immigration expertise with equity-driven practice and system-level leadership. This article highlights our values and how CWICE strategically sustains operations across micro, mezzo, and macro levels.
Our Values
CWICE was founded in 2018 by Peel CAS and the Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies. The leadership of these organizations felt a centralized consultation center was the best model for Canada’s largest and most diverse province. In our first seven years (2018-2025), we have worked with nearly 5,500 individuals from 126 countries across six continents. At CWICE, our core values is to respect the identities of our clients, recognizing their language, gender, race, and LGBTQ+ community, and any other facet of identity. We take a “ROCK” approach in our work with clients - Respect, Openness, Compassion, and Kindness.
In our work with partners and collaborators, we build toward collective advocacy that furthers equity and equitable outcomes for children, youth and families within the child welfare system across Canada. This work would not be possible without foundational integration of anti-racism theory, differential responses, including prevention and early help, trauma-informed and decolonized practices that adhere to ensuring the rights of the child.
CWICE is unique in North America as the only Center of Excellence grounded in service, with trends and client experiences informing policy, research, and training to the sector. Our work focuses on the intersection of child welfare with immigration, settlement, travel and border-related issues. At the same time, there is emerging international, family and intimate partner violence, and human trafficking issues.
Micro Level
At the micro level, CWICE provides specialized, immigration-informed services to families involved with child welfare, as well as to refugee and immigrant families seeking voluntary support. This includes:
- Determining and resolving immigration or citizenship status
- Identifying eligibility and entitlements tied to status, and ensuring individuals have strong legal representation
- Securing identity documents for children
- Planning for repatriations and supporting cross-border family reunification
- Assisting families in accessing health, education, income, and settlement supports
These interventions directly reduce risk, enhance safety planning, and ensure that children do not fall through administrative gaps. A core component of CWICE’s work is the application of equity, anti-oppression, cultural humility, and trauma-informed recommendations. Families often describe CWICE as the first service where they feel understood—because CWICE acknowledges the broader context of migration, racism, and systemic exclusion in their experiences.
Mezzo Level
CWICE’s impact extends well beyond direct and consultative service. At the mezzo level, CWICE builds capacity across child welfare organizations in Canada through workforce development opportunities. CWICE staff train professionals in child welfare and related fields, offering broader understanding of systems. Building awareness of the systems assists others in better navigation and support services for families. Through this intervention, professionals work to prevent delays, make more informed referrals, and help families access key information to make informed decisions.
To date, CWICE has trained thousands of individuals, and received extremely positive responses throughout evaluations. For child welfare professionals, there is a post-graduate certificate training series. There are also other courses for foster caregivers and professionals in consular, immigration, settlement, health or legal fields. These learning opportunities strengthen each workforce’s confidence and competence and create a shared understanding that immigration knowledge is not optional in modern child welfare as it is essential.
Macro Level
In addition to service and training, CWICE is a leader in communication, research, and system transformation through policy and legislative consultation. CWICE Managers have consulted about the detention of minors, and about immigration and citizenship regulation and legislation updates. We have testified at the Senate of Canada, to advance more robust mechanisms for citizenship for children in care and adults formerly in care. CWICE’s leadership fills a longstanding gap between federal immigration systems and provincial child welfare systems—two structures that rarely align but deeply affect newcomer children.
In conclusion, as Canada and the rest of the world continue to be countries of immigrants, child welfare systems must adapt accordingly. Through immigration-informed and equity-driven approaches at multiple levels, CWICE’s leadership offers more than hope; we offer a creative roadmap to problem solving and responding to the diverse needs of communities within a modern child welfare system. Ultimately, we know, when child welfare understands immigration, children are safer, families are better supported, and systems become more equitable.
Danielle Ungara, BSW, MSW, RSW, Peel CAS, co-manages CWICE. She is an inclusive leader of integrity. As thought leader on many system issues, Danielle believes in furthering social justice and equity integration outcomes through service excellence and research.
Liz Okai, BSW, MSW, RSW, Peel CAS, is a manager of the Child Welfare Immigration Centre of Excellence and is responsible for the day-to-day operations and strategic vision for the Centre. Contact: [email protected]