Identity Based Data

The collection of Identity Based Data (IdBD) is mandated by the Ontario Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services.

Click here to read the Ministry’s explanation in child friendly language of what you need to know about why we are collecting identity-based data.

What is Identity Based Data (IdBD)?

IdBD is information relating to an individual’s:

  • Citizenship
  • Aboriginal Identity
  • Place of Birth
  • Racial Group
  • Ethnic/Cultural Origin
  • Religion/Spiritual Affiliation
  • Language(s)
  • Sex at Birth
  • Gender Identity
  • Sexual Orientation
  • Marital Status
  • Family Status
  • Disability Status

Why are we collecting this information?

We are asking for this information because:

  • We want to understand you and your family.
  • This will help us to make changes in how we are providing service, so that we can meet your unique needs as much as possible. People with different identities from your own may have different needs or require different services. If we don’t ask, we won’t know.
  • We value who the people we are working with are. We want to understand how they define themselves, and what they feel they need.

The Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services issued a directive in February 2019 for children’s aid societies and other child welfare agencies to collect this data so that it can be analyzed at an aggregate (not individual) level. This will help us improve our services, reduce any overrepresentation of certain segments of the population, identify and eliminate any inherent bias and/or discrimination (at individual, agency, and provincial levels).

  • IdBD is collected for ALL children & youth we are providing service to.
  • There is no age for consent. The directive speaks to social workers using their clinical judgment. If a child is not able to provide the information, caregivers will be asked to provide the information whenever possible.
  • IdBD is repeated annually (for ongoing, CIC, and kin) and each time there is a new investigation.
  • Person Records are updated for ALL case members (adults included) for race, ethnicity, religion, language, Indigeneity, and Band Affiliation.
  • Consent can be withdrawn at any time.

It is recognized that:

  • Asking about and recognizing race is a critical piece of someone’s identity and lived experience. We are not “colour blind”, and it is hurtful to say that we are. We will endeavour not to make assumptions about someone’s race or racial identity.
  • Racialized people have a very different lived experience than white people and many experience racist micro-aggressions on a daily basis. Bullying is not acceptable at any age or for any reasons. We will treat everyone with respect and dignity.
  • Discussing identity and status can be very difficult for many Indigenous people due to a historical legacy of how this information was used against First Nations, Indigenous and Métis (FNIM) This can be true for both status and non-status people. Someone can have Indigenous heritage and not have status.
  • Ethnicity is based on several factors, such as family and social environment, historical understanding, socio-political definitions, personal experience, etc.
  • Often (but not always) ethnicity is linked to geography or a specific country or region, shared cultural identification, religion and language.
  • A person can have multiple ethnicities.
  • Faith can be a strength of support in families. For some people this is core to their being and who they are as a person. We have a responsibility to do our best to ensure religious and spiritual safety.
  • Intersex – bodies, chromosomes, and/or hormones are not easily grouped into conventional classifications of male or female.
  • Gender Identity refers to how someone feels and experiences gender; who they believe themselves to be.
  • Transgender is someone who does not identify with gender assigned at birth.
  • A transgender woman/girl identifies as female but born biologically male.
  • A transgender man/boy identifies as male and was born biologically female.
  • Someone who is gender non-conforming does not follow ideas and stereotypes about gender.
  • Two-spirit is an Indigenous term for gender identity and sexual orientation.
  • Research shows kids as young as the age of 8 start to understand sexual orientation.

Disability Status is a very broad category and covers:

  • Chronic illness (everything from asthma to cancer)
  • Developmental disability
  • Drug or alcohol dependence
  • Learning disability
  • Mental Health
  • Physical disability
  • Sensory disability