35 children restored to parental custody as Ontario expands special services.

TORONTO -- Until recently a number of parents of children with special needs gave up custody of their children as the only way to obtain the services needed. To date, 35 families have had their parental custody restored. The parents who had relinquished custody of their children with special needs to children's aid societies are being assisted by children's aid societies and other community agencies to help them regain custody of their children without disruption to the specialized services and care their children receive.

The Ontario government is committing an additional $10 million to help more children and youth with severe special needs receive specialized support services faster.

Community planning teams made up of special needs service providers, parents and other stakeholders were established by the Ministry of Children's Services in April to recommend strategies to expand and improve services so more children and youth can be helped in their home communities. The government is also conducting a review of the residential service system across all sectors to determine if specific measures are needed to improve that system for children, youth and families across the province.