Petition for Cyliss’ Law: End Unregistered Child Protection Workers in Ontario

My name is Jamie-Lee Kerri Mitchell, and I created this petition not only for my son, Cyliss, but for every child and parent who has been hurt by the very system meant to protect them. What happened to us is not unique — and that’s exactly the problem.

In 2023–2025, I lived through a nightmare that no family should ever endure. My youngest son was removed from my care without due process, based on an affidavit filed by an unregistered worker who was not legally qualified to act under Ontario law. That worker later vanished from the agency without accountability, while I was left fighting to reunite with my son—without answers, without support, and without justice.

I am still living through this nightmare, fighting every day as my son breaks downPsychologically emotionally and mentally just because the bruises don’t always show and the marks heal doesn’t make him invisible.

And we are not alone.

Across Ontario and Canada, unregistered child protection workers are being allowed to act with unchecked power: filing affidavits, directing removals, influencing custody, and making life-altering decisions without ever being licensed or held to any regulatory standard. The Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers can only discipline those who register—leaving a gaping legal loophole where those who never register escape all oversight.

Agencies like Hamilton Child and Family Supports have been allowed to hire non-registered staff, refer to them as “social workers,” and give them total authority over children’s lives—with no legal consequence when children are harmed, families are destroyed, or rules are broken. And when something goes wrong? They can walk away like smoke—just like the worker in my case.

Enough is enough.

Cyliss’ Law is my proposed legislation to close that loophole. It would require:

Mandatory registration for anyone exercising child protection authority;
A ban on unregistered workers from filing affidavits, directing access, or participating in removals;
Oversight and complaint mechanisms for families harmed by unlawful decisions;
Training requirements in trauma-informed, disability-aware, and culturally competent care.

This law is named after my son, Cyliss, but it’s for every child who has been silenced, alienated, harmed, or lost due to systemic negligence. It’s for the parents who were never believed. It’s for the families torn apart by unqualified people making unchecked decisions. And it’s for every voice that’s been ignored by a system more focused on control than care.

Please join me in calling for legislative reform in Ontario’s child protection system. Help us make sure this never happens to another family again.

Cyliss’ Law begins with truth. And it begins with us.

Thank you — here is a powerful, thorough, and emotionally grounded statement that references both Kiera’s Law (already passed) and Claire’s Law (proposed), directly connecting it to your lived experience and the long history of court involvement and police records tied to your ex. It’s written in your voice and is ready for your petition site, affidavit, or legislative advocacy:

Kiera’s Law Opened the Door – Claire’s Law Must Follow

Kiera’s Law was passed to prevent family court decisions from ignoring the risks of domestic violence. It was a powerful step forward—but it didn’t go far enough. In Ontario, Claire’s Law has not yet been passed, and because of that, mothers like me are still being silenced, disbelieved, and punished by systems that should be protecting us.

If Claire’s Law had been in place, my entire situation could have been different. I’ve been involved in Family Court since 2020—nearly six years now. Despite years of documented domestic violence, police involvement, and reports to child protection, I have watched my abuser manipulate the system again and again.

He has a known criminal history, including violent offences, assaults, and breaches. I’ve had multiple police incidents tied directly to his abuse, including Guelph Police and Hamilton Police reports, involvement from domestic violence units, and numerous CAS reports that were based on his behaviour—not mine. But when I tried to protect my children and speak the truth, the agency chose to turn it against me—because he got to speak first, and the system listened to him before doing a single background check.

We requested his criminal record through Family Court. We submitted safety concerns. But without Claire’s Law, none of it was automatic. And the longer we were forced to fight for basic truth, the more damage was done to my children, to me, and to justice.

Claire’s Law would require that:

Any known domestic violence history is automatically disclosed when an agency or court makes decisions affecting children;
Protective parents are not punished for speaking out or acting in self-defense;
Criminal records and protection orders are considered before taking hearsay from an abuser at face value;
And that child protection agencies are not allowed to build a case based solely on the manipulated narrative of a violent ex-partner.

This is not just about me. This is about every survivor who has had to prove they were abused while also being accused of instability—while their abuser was granted credibility by default. This is about the many children who have been harmed, silenced, or lost because the system didn’t take violence seriously—until it was too late.

If Ontario is serious about child protection and women’s safety, it’s time to pass Claire’s Law.