Developmental Services in Toronto

Thursday, March 17, 2016

Common Abbreviations and Acronyms

Abbreviations and Acronyms Updated Feb 2016

ABI................ Acquired Brain Injury

ACTT............. Assertive Community Treatment Team

ADL............... Activities of Daily Living (residence is hospital or treatment bed-blocked)

ADSS ……….Application for Developmental Services and Support Interview

ALC ………...Alternative Level of Care

ANS …………Adult Neurodevelopmental Service

ASR …………Application Summary Report

APSW............ Adult Protective Service Worker

ASD............... Autism Spectrum Disorder

AWOL........... Absent Without Official Leave

BT.................. Behaviour Therapy/Therapist

CAIR............. Collaborative And Individualized Resource

CAMH........... Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

CCAC……… Community Care Access Centre

CLT………… Community Living Toronto

CNL............... Community Needs List

CNSC............ Community Networks of Specialized Care

CPI…………. Crisis Prevention Institute (or NVCI = Non-violent Crisis Intervention)

DD................. Developmental Disability

DDx............... Dual Diagnosis

DSO............... Developmental Services Ontario

DSTO............. Developmental Services Toronto

DSO-TR......... Developmental Services Ontario - Toronto Region

DSTS……….. Developmental Services Temporary Supports

ESR................ Effective Specialized Responses

FASD............. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

FOPS............. Forensic Outpatient Services

FST................ Family Service Toronto

GCSN............ Griffin Community Support Network

HSJCC........... Human Services and Justice Coordinating Committee

IOTA............. Intensive Observation, Treatment and Assessment

KPAS............. Kerry’s Place Autism Services

LHIN............. Local Health Integration Network

LTC …………Long- Term Care

MCYS............ Ministry of Children and Youth Services

MCSS............ Ministry of Community and Social Services

MH................. Mental Health

MOHLTC...... Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care

NADD ………National Association for the Dually Diagnosed

NCR............... Not Criminally Responsible

OADD ……… Ontario Association on Developmental Disabilities

OASIS……… Ontario Agencies Supporting Individuals with Special Needs

OPADD …….Ontario Partnership on Aging and Developmental Disabilities

ORB............... Ontario Review Board

OT.................. Occupational Therapy/Therapist

PDP................ Person-directed Plan

PECS............. Picture Exchange Communication System

PRN............... As needed (used for medications – from the Latin: pro re nata)

RHPA……….Regulated Health Professions Act

SIL................. Supported Independent Living

SIS................. Support Intensity Scale

S/LP............... Speech/Language Pathology/Pathologist

SNT................ Special Needs Team

SPC................ Surrey Place Centre

TDSA………. Toronto Developmental Services Alliance (formerly MARC)

TNSC............. Toronto Network of Specialized Care

TPADD ……..Toronto Partnership on Aging and Developmental Disabilities

UR………….. Urgent Response

Other terms:

Snoezelen (therapy room)

Note: Cota is not an abbreviation or acronym – it is the name of the agency.

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Autism Parent Resource Kit for Ontario

The Autism Resource Kit for parents and caregivers of children and youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

This web-based kit provides information and resources to support families of children and youth with ASD at all stages of their child’s progress and development.

THE KIT INCLUDES INFORMATION ABOUT:

Diagnosis and treatment
Strategies for daily living
Services and assistance available in Ontario, including information on financial support
School support, extra-curricular and recreational activities
How your child develops, including sensory, physiological and social development
Health care
Parenting and family support

Sunday, May 4, 2014

"Q&A" from StoryCorps

Sunday, April 13, 2014

Backgrounder on Proposed Funding to Eliminate Waitlists

Source: Ontario Ministry of Finance

Helping Thousands of People with Developmental Disabilities

Through a proposed $810 million investment over three years, the Ontario government would build on the funding announced in the 2013 Budget and continue the transformation of developmental services so that people with developmental disabilities can live as independently as possible in communities across the province.

1.               Eliminating waitlists for direct funding programs
Passport helps adults with a developmental disability to develop work, volunteer and daily life skills and participate better in their communities. It also provides respite for caregivers. Approximately 9,000 adults are waiting for direct funding through Passport. The government's investment would serve those currently on the waitlist and the 4,000 more expected to apply for Passport over the next four years.

In addition, the proposed investment would also serve the approximately 8,000 children currently waiting for Special Services at Home.  Special Services at Home helps families pay for services in or outside the family home for children with a physical or developmental disability.

2.               Supporting important life transitions
Planning properly for important life transitions - leaving school, moving out of the family home or getting a job - is critical for all Ontarians. The government's proposed investment would help more than 4,200 adults with a developmental disability and their families find the supports they need to navigate these changes and build a life in their community.

3.               Better residential supports
Ontario's investment plan would provide residential care for more than 1,400 adults who are on waitlists or in children's group homes.

4.               Promoting innovation and community partnerships
Ontario's investment would increase support for innovative community partnerships that provide greater community inclusion. It would:

Expand the Host Family program. This program matches an adult with a developmental disability with a family that wants to share its home. By expanding this program more adults with a developmental disabiltity would be given a safe and secure place to live in a family setting.

Expand the Supported Independent Living program to enable more adults to live in their own accommodation with some onsite support.

Provide support for employment opportunities such as pre-employment training and employer awareness as young adults leave school and look to enter the job market.

Promote and support innovative partnerships that lead to shared community living solutions and cost efficiencies that help address growing service needs.

5. Supporting front-line workers providing community services
People with developmental disabilities rely upon the hundreds of agencies across Ontario for a wide array of safe, high-quality services. Nearly 80 per cent of the funds invested in community agencies support salaries for more than 30,000 workers in the developmental services sector in Ontario. Many front-line workers are part-time and lower paid.

Ontario's investment strategy would help agencies continue to provide high-quality services and keep qualified staff, which means better support for the people they serve.

Friday, April 11, 2014

A Start on Autism Resources

The Ministry of Children and Youth Services has a Resource Kit for parents with children who have Autism. The kit includes sections on:

• Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis and treatment

• Everyday living

• Common transitions

• Health care

• Parenting and family support

• Tools to track assessments, diagnosis information, treatment planning and subsequent progress

• References to current services in Ontario and up-to-date research

The Autism Speaks website also has a large number of resource kits: Examples of a resource kit are the "100 Day Kit" which was created specifically for newly diagnosed families to make the best possible use of the 100 days following their child's diagnosis. Other kits you find on this page include an Advocacy Tool Kit, an Asperger Syndrome and High Functioning Autism Tool Kit, a ATN/AIR-P Autism and Medication: Safe and Careful Use tool kit and others.

OMazing Kids is a page with links to visual resources available online.

Surrey Place Centre (Toronto) has a great page of individual links to documents from the Tools for Primary Care of Adults with Developmental Disabilities. There are resources for family physicians and for caregivers.

In the column to the right are links to a list of all the agencies funded by the provincial government to deliver developmental services in Toronto. Some of these agencies offer services specifically for people diagnosed with Autism. Agencies such as the Geneva Centre, JVS Toronto, Surrey Place Centre and Kerry’s Place Autism Services.

Pinterest is a great source for visuals like this social story board page. Search for autism or social story or whatever you are searching for on pinterest especially if you are looking for visuals.

The Autism Speaks website has a searchable index of apps for various platforms (not just Apple products). The search appears to be updated and maintained, so it's a great resource to return to time and again.

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Fundraising Need

Nicole Flynn is a lovely, talented, and determined young woman from Scarborough and amongst her many triumphs is the Gold Medal she won in swimming a couple of years ago in Italy. It was very costly for her working class family to pay for her to have that opportunity to win that honour for Canada!

Nicole has Down syndrome.

So this time we are asking for financial assistance to send Nicole and her coach to the Down Syndrome Swimming Competition in Mexico in November of 2014 through crowdfunding.

Nicole is an actor, a poet, a dancer, a photographer, an athlete, etc. so, if you are a person who feels it's important to show the abilities of our country's differently-abled, please go to this link and support Nicole!

http://www.pursu.it/campaign/48

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Mandate of the Select Committee on Developmental Services - Ontario

That a Select Committee on Developmental Services be appointed to consider and report to the House its observations and recommendations with respect to the urgent need for a comprehensive developmental services strategy to address the needs of children, youth and adults in Ontario with an intellectual disability or who are dually diagnosed with an intellectual disability and a mental illness, and to coordinate the delivery of developmental programs and services across many provincial ministries in addition to the Ministry of Community and Social Services; and

That in developing its strategy and recommendations, the Committee shall focus on the following issues:

· the elementary and secondary school educational needs of children and youth;

· the educational and workplace needs of youth upon completion of secondary school;

· the need to provide social, recreational and inclusionary opportunities for children, youth and adults;

· the need for a range of available and affordable housing options for youth and adults;

· the respite and support needs of families;

· how government should most appropriately support these needs and provide these opportunities.

Ombudsman's Office Investigates Developmental Services in Ontario

Here's press release from November 2012 announcing the investigation:

TORONTO (November 29, 2012) – Ontario Ombudsman André Marin today announced an investigation into the province’s services for adults with developmental disabilities who are in crisis situations, after several desperate families complained their loved ones risked being sent to homeless shelters or jail because there was nowhere to care for them.

Complaints to the Ombudsman’s office about the Ministry of Community and Social Services’ response to such situations have steadily increased in the past two years, Mr. Marin noted – from 35 in 2010, to 45 in 2011, to 64 so far in 2012.

In many cases, parents of children with severe special needs complained that services for them essentially vanished when they turned 18. Many complained of a lack of planning and funding, lengthy delays and poor co-ordination of care through agencies contracted by the Ministry. Some families complained of being refused support services because of their loved ones’ high needs and challenging behaviours.

“We have heard heart-wrenching stories from aging or ill parents whose adult sons and daughters are a danger to themselves and others and need constant care that can’t be provided at home – but they have nowhere to turn,” Mr. Marin said. “Some of these caregivers are on the brink of emotional and physical breakdown. We have investigated past cases where people with these severe disabilities have been sent to shelters and even jail. What is particularly troubling is that our complaints have only gone up, despite new legislation and changes made by the Ministry in recent years.”

The Services and Supports to Promote the Social Inclusion of Persons With Developmental Disabilities Act, 2008 created Developmental Services Ontario, established last year, to process applications and determine eligibility for services. Complaints to the Ombudsman have more than doubled since then. Services for adults with developmental disabilities are provided by some 300 community-based agencies contracted and funded by the Ministry.

The investigation will focus on two issues – whether the Ministry is adequately responding to urgent situations involving adults with developmental disabilities, and whether it is doing enough to co-ordinate, monitor and facilitate access to services for them.

The Ombudsman’s Office has investigated individual complaints on this issue over the past two years, a few of which have also been the subject of media reports. However, the increase in complaints indicates there may be a systemic problem and a broader investigation is warranted, Mr. Marin said.

He noted that the Auditor-General of Ontario’s report last year found that there is inadequate Ministry oversight of the $472 million it transfers to agencies providing services for people with developmental disabilities. “My investigation will build on that, and determine whether the Ministry is doing all it can to respond to crisis situations, and providing access to services in a fair and equitable manner,” he said. “It’s about timely response to crisis situations. It’s about making sure people who need help are not left without supports or homes.”

The adults in the situations complained about to the Ombudsman have a variety of mental and physical conditions including the inability to communicate verbally, inability to dress or care for themselves, low mental function, and unpredictable violent behaviour, requiring highly specialized care and services.

The Ombudsman is asking anyone who has information relevant to the investigation to contact his office at 1-800-263-1830, file an online complaint or email info@ombudsman.on.ca.

The investigation will be conducted by the Special Ombudsman Response Team (SORT) and is expected to take about six months. Since 2005, SORT has conducted about 30 major systemic investigations into issues affecting large numbers of Ontarians. The Ombudsman’s recommendations stemming from these cases have been overwhelmingly accepted, resulting in such reforms as increased screening of newborn babies, improved compensation for crime victims, better access to funding for cancer drugs, an overhaul of the property tax assessment system and increased security of lotteries.

Sunday, June 30, 2013

Passport Funding and Special Services at Home

Passport Funding is a funding program by the Ontario Government in order to help young adults with developmental disabilities who are too old to continue attending school to access community support. Once a person with developmental disabilities turns 21 years of age, they are no longer eligible to attend classes within the education system; and given that there are not a lot of programs available for young adults, once they age out of the school system, they end up staying at home with no financial resources to access staffing or community based programs to give structure and meaning to their work week.

The Ministry of Community and Social Services website has a concise explanation of what the Passport program covers:

With Passport funding, individuals and families can:

receive money directly so they can purchase their own services and supports
get services and supports through community-based agencies
get services and supports through a combination of both.

Who can apply for Passport Funding

Passport funding is for people with a developmental disability who:

are no longer in school
need support to participate in the community
live independently with family or in supportive living, such as a group home.

Where to apply for Passport Funding

For the past two years Passport Funding has been frozen as a result of the amalgamation of the Special Services at Home program into the Passport Funding program. In this fiscal year (April 2013 - March 2014) everyone who was already receiving funding from either Special Services at Home or the Passport program had their funding renewed. There were no increases, no chance to make any changes. So if you were already part of either one of these programs then you are lucky.

Lots of people, in the meantime, have been in limbo. Unable to apply for funding and unclear about when the new Passport Program will be open to taking new applications. At the time of the writing of this post: there have been no memos to staff on the front lines or letters to parents giving any updates or possible timelines for making the Passport Funding a living program again.

The best one can do is to call the Developmental Services Ontario (DSO) office (see my previous post about the DSO here) and ask for a re-assessment if you or your loved ones situation demands additional funding. The DSO will meet with you, make their assessment and then put you on the list of Passport Funding.

If you do not currently receive Passport funding, then you still should call the DSO and ask to be put on the list for an application for Passport Funding when this program is reactivated. This the right thing to do only if you are already attached to the DSO or another agency as your lead agency, or, you have been assessed by the DSO for eligibility (that is, you or a loved one has been and diagnosed with having an developmental disability).

To access phone numbers for the DSO offices in Ontario follow this link

For the Toronto office of the DSO call 1-855-372-3858.

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

ODSP (Ontario Disability Support Program): The Basics

The Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) is a monthly benefit for people who either have a mental health issue, or a physical or developmental disability. Or a combination of the above diagnoses. ODSP is funded by the Ministry of Community and Social Services. Most people who qualify as having a developmental delay are eligible to apply for this benefit.

The Ministry of Community and Social Services website on ODSP already has a well-written, easily understandable explanation of the program and how to apply for this benefit. Follow this link to get there. There are two parts to the disability benefit: 1. Income Supports and 2. Employment Supports.

For the most part, people use the Income Supports portion of ODSP. This entitles people to about $1000 per month, depending on the person's circumstances. The ODSP benefit also includes most prescription drugs and access to basic dental services (such as cleaning, cavity repair, dentures, etc.) and coverage for prescription glasses. Here's a list of other benefits which ODSP recipients can receive provided they meet qualifying criteria. The list and links were taken from the Ministry of Community and Social Services website:

Health benefits

Disability-related benefits

The Employment Supports portion of the program is meant to give people a bit of a helping hand to get into the work force. This process is started by calling your local ODSP office (this is a link to a page showing all ODSP offices in Ontario and to find an office using your postal code follow this link) and asking to speak with an Employment Supports worker at your local ODSP office. The worker does an assessment to see if the person on ODSP is a good candidate for the Employment Supports program and then, the worker is able to give you the names of different agencies that help people to get work. These agencies are funded by either the Ontario or Canadian government and will help an individual to learn key work skills, help with interview skills, resume preparation and sometimes, provide job placements and on the job coaching.

The application package for ODSP has two parts: The first is a self report which the person applying for support completes. Having help in filling out he entire form by caregiver is not unusual and perfectly acceptable. The second portion of the application package is a report to be filled out by a doctor (family doctor, psychiatrist, or others). Once you mail in your disability application (you have 90 days to send it in), ODSP will assess the applicants eligibility for benefits. If you are turned down, you can appeal this decision. Often, people are able to get approved when they appeal a negative decision, so follow through on an appeal if you get turned down initially.

The Community Legal Education Ontario's website is a great source for detailed information on how to fill out an ODSP application. There's even a section to educate your doctor on how to best fill out their portion of the application. You might print this to do guide for professionals and bring it with you with the application package when going to the doctor's office.

If you do not have case management services through an agency within the developmental services sector (see list of agencies here), you might try going to the ODSP Action Coalition's webpages. This grass roots organization lobbies the government on ODSP related matters.

There is also an online support group called the ODSP Fireside Group. This is a support and information exchange forum which may be useful for you to join in order to gather information and gain from other people's experience with the ODSP program.

Lastly, do not feel overwhelmed by all the different links, benefits and programs. Just decide your first step and act on it. Look up the phone number of the ODSP office closest to you and call to make an appointment to get an application package.

If you don't get a call back, call again. Speak to a receptionist and book your appointment. If you feel this process is taking too long, speak to the receptionist and insist on speaking to a manager. Be polite but firm. When you get your application package then you can worry about the next step.

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

The Centralized Wait List

Toronto now has a centralized wait list system for people who have indicated that they need a residential placement (group home, supported independent living, etc.), a structured day setting of some sort (known as Community Participation Supports or day programs) and a need for a Family Services Worker (also known as a case manager, a case coordinator or other similar titles). All the services which one can access through the centralized list are funded by the Ministry of Community and Social Services.

Toronto has long wait times for all of the above services. This is because none or very few new spots are being funded in day programs or housing. As people in the children's sector of developmental services become adults, they are assessed by the DSO and then put on the wait lists. Additionally, when people with developmental delays move to Toronto, they are also placed on the wait lists. The only way that spots in residential settings or day programs become available is either when a current resident/participant passes away or if they move out of town or, in the case of day programs, they quit attending.

The centralized wait list was known as the Resday list. It is now known as the Community Needs List (CNL). Fortunately, when it comes to housing, the List is prioritized based on a client's needs and not on a first-come-first-served basis. This means that a person who is living with his elderly parents could be somewhere in the middle of the list for a long time. However, if his elderly parents passed away tomorrow, there is a way for the list to take this changed situation and need into account and consequently, the person's name would move towards the top of the list. So the needier a client is for supports, the higher their name goes on the list. This is a simplified explanation of the wait list system because it is only a part of the equation which matches an individual to a residential or day program opening.

The other side of the equation is that, not only does a client have to have a demonstrated need for a placement, but a client must also be a good match for the spot that has opened up. In other words, putting a client who is vulnerable by virtue of being confined to a wheelchair and being non-verbal, in a group home with one or more aggressive clients would not be a good match as it would leave the person in the wheelchair open to being the target of aggression.

In order to make the matching of clients to vacancies as fair as possible, there is a scoring system or matrix which assigns a certain number to each relevant piece of information in the client's personal profile which informs the List.

In order to check the details of a profile or to update information of a profile, a person needs to call their lead agency and ask for their, or the profile of the person under their care, to be updated. Keeping the information on the profile which informs the list up-to-date is the job of the lead agency. Most agencies probably don't get around to updating this profile as often as they should due to a large number of clients for whom they are responsible and a shortage of staff to complete such a large task. So, it is better for you or a family member to update the profile with the help of your lead agency once a year or when a significant change takes place.

Friday, May 24, 2013

List of Toronto Agencies

There are thirty-seven agencies which are officially listed as belonging to the developmental services sector in Toronto. These agencies are funded for the most part by the Ministry of Community and Social Services. A list of these agencies can be found at the Developmental Services Ontario (Toronto Region) web site. Here is a copy of the list with links to their own web sites:

Monday, May 20, 2013

Services? What Services?

While there is a dearth of resources in the developmental services sector in Ontario, there are also many services already present that other less fortunate areas of even the developed world do not have. And, more importantly, there a great many good people working to make the present system responsive to people's needs.
So now that you have managed the first hurdle of passing eligibility with the Developmental Services Ontario (DSO) office, what kinds of services are available for a developmentally delayed adult in Toronto?

Follow this link for a list of the different Categories of Services. If you follow this link, you can look at the complete list of services on the left hand side, under the "developmental services in Ontario" tab.
Broadly, services can be broken down into 5 areas:

Residential Supports -- These include group homes, Supported Independent Living (SIL) arrangements, individually funded placements, creative placements which rely of several individuals pooling resources funded by the Ministry of Community and Social Services)
Respite Supports -- These include overnight stays in designated group homes, day time stays at group homes or designated day programs (Community Participation Supports), individually funded (again, by the Ministry) respite worker support paid by families directly to workers. There are supports/guidance available from the office of respiteservices.com.
Community Participation Supports -- This includes the use of any daytime agencies or activities for a developmentally delayed individual. Services such as attending a program with Parks and Recreation Toronto, supported or competitive employment, attending daytime programs for work, recreation and/or skill building, etc.
Professional and Specialized Services -- This category of services is handled by a few of the agencies in Toronto (37) in the developmental services sector. Agencies that provide clinical services (psychologists, psychiatrists, occupational therapists, behaviour therapists, etc.) do this in either in an office setting, at a day program, in a hospital or at a group home and lastly, in the "community." Community being a persons home or anywhere else that is private and appropriate to meet a person to conduct an assessment or follow through on treatment.
Lastly, Person Directed Planning: This is another service which is delivered by a small number of agencies with people trained to meet with and help direct a process of planning with a delayed individual and their support circle (family/friends/service providers) to help plan for the future of that individual. These plans are usually graphically based (drawn on large sheets of paper, with only the most necessary use of words) to make the plan as client directed and understandable for the individual for whom the plan is being drawn-up.
There are other categories of support offered but these are for a very narrow proportion of the people served in developmental services and I will leave an explanation of that topic for another post.

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Developmental Services Ontario

Developmental Services Ontario (DSO) is an agency run by the Ministry of Community and Social Services. In Toronto, the agency happens to be located at Surrey Place Centre in downtown Toronto. There are 8 other DSO centres. To find the DSO centre which serves your area you can follow this link.

What does the DSO do? If you or a person you care for has not had any contact with the developmental services sector in Ontario then you will have to begin by contacting a DSO centre in your area. If you receive ODSP, have received services through a community living agency or other agencies funded by the Ministry of Community and Social Services before July 1, 2011, then you do not have to go through the DSO. Simply call the agency you were last in touch with and they should be able to help you access any services you require. Usually, this is an agency known as your lead agency. Lead agencies are your first point of contact for any services you or someone you care for is looking to access. Anyone entering adult developmental services through the DSO in Toronto is considered to have the DSO as their lead agency.

The DSO -- Step-by-Step:

1. You (or someone you care for) call a DSO centre, they respond by taking your basic information; a critical piece of information requested at this stage is evidence that you or a loved one are eligible for services. Usually a Psychological Assessment is needed to determine if someone meets the definition for having a developmental disability. The document responsible for setting the criteria for eligibility for services is the Services and Supports to Promote the Social Inclusion of Persons with Developmental Disabilities Act (2008).

2. At your first meeting with a DSO worker you will be asked a lot of basic questions and these will be added to your previous information. The form being filled out at this stage is called an Application for Developmental Services and Supports (ADSS) form. To learn the more details about the ADSS go here.
3. At your second meeting with a DSO worker they will help to complete a form known as the Supports Intensity Scale (SIS). This form is to help the DSO to find out what kinds of supports are needed by an applicant. Do you need a day program? Do you have complex medical needs? Will you need to apply for ODSP and then additional funding? This is what the SIS is supposed to determine. You can find more details about this form here.
4. Last Step -- A report known as Assessor Summary Report (ASR) is prepared from all the information gathered highlighting the most significant details/needs from your previous meetings.
5. A worker from the DSO will be responsible for directing you to agencies that will connect you with needed services.

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