b'CELEBRATING ONE YEAROF EARLY HELPOur Early Help Initiative has already made a remarkable impact in its firstyear of operation. By connecting families directly to community resourcesand support through a holistic wraparound service, without going throughthe typical investigative process, we are able to get families the help theyneed quickly, addressing concerns before they escalate. Cases openedthrough Early Help involved asylum-seekers and international students whofaced food and housing insecurity, expectant parents and conflictbetween caregivers and their children.Across the sector, the over-representation of Black children in care is awell-documented issue. Early Help has shown great promise this year inhelping to address this concern. Between January and April 2024, 71% ofEarly Help cases were Black families, who were able to benefit from timelysupport, without the need for an investigation. Nearly all the casesopened through Early Help go on to be closed without the need for furtherCAS involvement. Of the 695 Early Help cases opened last year, only 10cases required ongoing services, avoiding more intensive CASinterventions for more than 98 per cent of these families.ADVOCATING FOR CITIZENSHIPFOR YOUTH IN CAREPeel CAS and our Child Welfare Immigration Centre ofExcellence (CWICE) team have been collaborating withcommunity partners and the Honourable Senator Mobina Jaffer on her proposed Bill S-235 - An Act to amend theCitizenship Act and the Immigration and RefugeeProtection Act. This bill will ensure that children and youth in care across Canada are able to obtaincitizenship, allowing them to achieve the permanencyand sense of belonging they urgently need and deserve. On December 6, our CEO, Mary Beth Moellenkamp, and CWICE representatives, Danielle Ungara, FatimaMukai, and Liz Okai were honoured to be part of a panel which presented before the Senate StandingCommittee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology insupport of the bill.'