Issue 20 - August 2010
Our quality assurance regulation is now in place
Message from the Honourable Madeleine Meilleur
Minister of Community and Social Services
Dear Friends,
In early July, I was pleased to inform you that various sections of the Services and Supports to Promote the Social Inclusion of Persons with Developmental Disabilities Act, 2008 were proclaimed. This was a major step forward in our transformation of developmental services.
I’m happy to tell you that we’ve made more progress this summer. The ministry has finalized the regulation on quality assurance measures for ministry-funded application entities and service agencies.
I want to let you know how much I, and ministry staff, appreciate all the feedback you provided on the draft regulation earlier this year. Your comments were instrumental in shaping the final version. Your advice was practical and moreover, truly demonstrated your dedication to people who have a developmental disability.
On a final note, we are always looking for stories about the great work that our community partners are doing. Be sure to visit our ministry’s website to find out about some exceptional people who are leading the way when it comes to community inclusion. Watch our video about Best Pack, an Oakville company that has a fully integrated workforce.
I encourage you to share your success stories with us. If you have one, please send us an email at tellyourstories@ontario.ca.
My thanks again for all your help with our new legislation and regulations. I hope you all find time to enjoy our beautiful Ontario summer.
Original letter signed by
Minister Madeleine Meilleur
Putting the ‘Q’ in Quality
Our partners in developmental services played a key role in shaping our new quality assurance regulation under the Services and Supports to Promote the Social Inclusion of Persons with Developmental Disabilities Act, 2008.
We posted a draft of the regulation on the Ministry of Community and Social Services website last December for public comment. We received 48 submissions from individuals with a developmental disability, families, service agencies and provincial organizations – input that helped us make the final regulation even better.
The comments we received focused on four main themes:
- Increasing the emphasis on individual rights, independence and the individual’s ability to make informed decisions and provide consent.
- Improving the abuse prevention and reporting sections. Strengthening the response when a person has alleged, witnessed or disclosed abuse.
- Reviewing requirements for orientation and training and allowing agencies to lead the way with their policies and procedures.
- Revising the section on behaviour intervention strategies to focus on positive approaches to intervention, and placing a greater emphasis on the least intrusive measures.
The regulation was filed on July 23, 2010 and you can find it on the Ontario government’s e-laws site.
What will this regulation do?The regulation will set quality assurance measures for ministry-funded service agencies and application entities that provide services and supports to adults with a developmental disability. Quality assurance measures promote good services and supports. The regulation will promote social inclusion and help us protect people with a developmental disability from serious health and safety problems, for example, by:
This regulation will help agencies and application entities provide services and supports in a consistent way throughout Ontario. It will also bring greater peace of mind to the families and caregivers of people with a developmental disability. |
Helping agencies get ready to comply
Service agencies please take note – the regulatory provisions on quality assurance measures for agencies will come into effect on January 1, 2011.
To help you get ready to comply with the new quality assurance measures, training will be offered this fall. You will learn the new rules for preventing, identifying and reporting abuse and neglect, as well as how to prepare your agency for compliance reviews.
The regulation applies to all ministry-funded services and supports provided by developmental services agencies, including:
- residential
- activities of daily living
- community participation
- caregiver respite
- professional and specialized, and
- person-directed planning.
There is also a section of the regulation that applies specifically to the application entities.
Look for more information about upcoming training and how the regulation will apply to application entities in future issues of Spotlight on Transformation.
In the meantime, get a jump start on what you need to do to get ready by checking out the regulation on the Ontario government’s e-laws site. Click on “Source Law” and search for the Services and Supports to Promote the Social Inclusion of Persons with Developmental Disabilities Act, 2008
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