If you are asked to take a child today.

Information reviewed September 2026. Program rules and service processes can change, so use the linked official source for current requirements.

If someone asks you to take a child tonight, first find out what is actually happening.

A parent may be asking privately. Child Protection may be arranging a temporary placement. Police may be dealing with an immediate safety situation. Those circumstances can create very different responsibilities for you.

Ask these questions before the worker or parent leaves, when possible.

1. Who is asking me to take the child? Parent, Child Protection, police or another person?
2. Who has legal custody or guardianship right now?
3. Is this part of a Child Protection plan? If yes, who is my worker and what written document should I receive?
4. Can I consent to medical care and school decisions?
5. What are the rules for parent contact? Is contact unrestricted, supervised, limited or not yet decided?
6. Who should I call after hours? Get an actual phone number before a crisis occurs.
7. What medication, health information and identification must come with the child?
8. Who can pick the child up? Tell school or child care only what they need to know.
9. Who is paying immediate expenses? Ask before spending significant money that someone has promised to reimburse.
10. When will this arrangement be reviewed? A temporary emergency should not become an indefinite arrangement simply because nobody schedules the next conversation.

The first 24 hours are about stability, not solving the next ten years.

Then work through the first week.

• Ask whether GACP is being considered and who makes the referral.
• Clarify the Canada Child Benefit or other child-related payments.
• Get copies of court orders, safety plans, agreements and contact rules.
• Ask what transportation is expected for school, appointments and parent or sibling contact.
• Identify the child's siblings and important relationships.
• Write down the next meeting date and who is responsible for each promised action.

PEI Child Protection has current policy for after-hours emergencies and voluntary agreements.

PEI publishes its Child Protection policies, including after-hours emergency services and voluntary agreements. The current GACP page also explains temporary out-of-home placement and the caregiver assessment process.

• PEI Child Protection Policies
• PEI Duty to Report
• PEI GACP Program