Community &

Neighbourhood Services

Social Services Division

Shirley Hoy, Commissioner

August 27, 1998

To:Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee

From:Commissioner, Community and Neighbourhood Services

Subject:Update on the Provincial Transfer of Responsibilities to Social Services and Children's Services Divisions

Purpose:

The purpose of this report is to update Committee on: the transfer of responsibility for managing single parent and temporary care (foster children) cases currently managed by the Province to Toronto's Ontario Works (O.W.) program; and the transfer of new responsibilities within the child care delivery system to the Children's Services Division. This report will discuss potential impacts for the respective Divisions, and identify issues related to the transfer process.

Funding Sources:

Financial implications have been addressed through the 1998 budget process for both the Social Services and Children's Services Divisions.

Recommendation:

It is recommended that this report be received for information.

Background:

As a result of substantial changes initiated by the Province over the past year, significant new responsibilities will be assumed by municipalities in the areas of social assistance and child care. This report provides a progress report on:

1)the transfer of responsibility for managing single parent and temporary care cases

currently managed by the Province to Toronto's Ontario Works program; and

2)the transfer of system management responsibility for the wage subsidy program, special needs resourcing, approved corporations serving special needs children, and family resource centres from the Province to the Children's Services Division.

Transfer of Provincial Social Assistance Cases:

Prior to the passage of the Social Assistance Reform Act (S.A.R.A.) in November of 1997 and its enactment in May of 1998, there were two programs for people in need of assistance: the Provincial Family Benefits (F.B.A.) program and the Municipal General Welfare Assistance (G.W.A.) program. The City (and the former Metro Toronto) administered the latter program.

The Family Benefits program was intended to be a longer term program for those considered at least temporarily unemployable. Disabled individuals, single parents and temporary care cases received benefits under this program.

The G.W.A. program was intended to be a short-term program where people classified as "employable" (singles, couples, families) were provided with assistance while pursuing self-sufficiency. Over the last four years, the City's G.W.A. caseload has steadily declined, and in the past year (July 1997 to July 1998) it has dropped from 93,000 to 81,000 cases. Since the G.W.A. program was historically the "point of entry" into the social assistance system, the City's caseload included single parents awaiting transfer to the F.B.A. program.

The Social Assistance Reform Act replaced the Provincial F.B.A. program and the Municipal G.W.A. program with two new programs: the Ontario Disability Support Program Act (O.D.S.P.A.) and the Ontario Works Act (O.W.A.). The legislation now clearly distinguishes between disabled individuals and others receiving social assistance.

The O.D.S.P.A. program, administered by the Province, will provide assistance to people with long-term disabilities as well as those over the age of 65. All other people in need, including single parents, elderly people aged 60-64, those with temporary illnesses or disabilities, and temporary care cases, will receive assistance under the Ontario Works program.

The Ontario Works program, administered by municipalities, is an employment focused program, with the goal of moving people into jobs as rapidly as possible. This is achieved through three formal program components - Community Participation (C.P.), Employment Supports (E.S.), or Employment Placement (E.P.).

In accordance with the new legislation, the Province reiterated in early 1998 that responsibility for managing single parent and temporary care cases would be transferred to municipalities, and that a carefully planned process would be established to expedite the transfer of these cases to the new municipally delivered O.W. program.

An estimated 17,000 cases served by the Provincial F.B.A. program, the vast majority of which are single parents with a small number of temporary care cases, will be transferred to the municipality. Given that single parents have historically entered the system through G.W.A., Toronto Social Services, under O.W., already serves the majority of single parent cases receiving social assistance in Toronto, with a current caseload of approximately 25,000 cases. The Division also currently serves 233 temporary care cases. As a result, the Division has considerable experience serving these groups. For this reason, the transfer of responsibility to the municipality for serving single parent and temporary care cases represents a logical step.

Transfer of New Responsibilities to Children's Services:

As part of the Provincial "Who does What" announcements in January 1998, the Province indicated that system management responsibility for the following child care services would be transferred to the Children's Services Division:

• family resource centres;
• special needs resourcing;
• approved corporations serving children with special needs; and
• the wage subsidy program.

Effective January 1, 1998, all child care services, including the current fee subsidy system, became cost shared on an 80:20 basis with the City assuming responsibility for 20 per cent of the approved costs.

The transfer of these services to the City will ultimately improve the overall child care service delivery system through improved planning and coordination of service options for children and families. Issues related to the transfer of these new responsibilities to the Children's Services Division are highlighted in Section II of this report and discussed in further detail in a report entitled "Transfer Plan for Child Care Services and Adjustments to Child Care Support for Ontario Works" also on this Committee's agenda.

Development of a Joint Implementation Plan for the Transfer of Responsibilities:

In February 1998, a Joint Provincial-Municipal Planning Implementation Team, comprised of senior staff from both the Provincial Ministry of Community and Social Services (M.C.S.S.) Toronto Area Office and the City of Toronto, was struck to develop a detailed plan for the transfer of Provincial single parent and temporary care cases and funded child care services. The remainder of this report discusses the planning process to date.

Comments:

Section I: Transfer of Single Parent and Temporary Care Cases:

A.Transfer Planning Process:

As indicated in its previous reports to Council, the Social Services Division has known since mid 1997 that the transfer of Provincial single parent cases would occur. Based on previous Provincial announcements, the Division factored the new caseloads into key decisions involving the 1998 budget, O.W. targets, and estimates of the need for child care spaces and other supports.

The Ministry has set out a transfer planning process that every municipality must follow. In January 1998, as a part of this process, the Province released its Provincial Municipal Case Integration Implementation Tool Kit. The Tool Kit's purpose is to ensure that there is a consistent framework across the Province to manage, and plan for, the transfer of single parent and temporary care cases.

It contains the Joint Local Implementation Planning Guidelines, including requirements for the development of protocols governing human resources.

The Joint Provincial-Municipal Planning Implementation Team has been working steadily over the past several months to develop an implementation plan based on the Tool Kit and Planning Guidelines. The plan describes the proposed approach developed jointly by the City of Toronto and the Toronto Area Office of M.C.S.S. to:

1)integrate single parent and temporary care cases into the municipally managed

Ontario Works program;

2)develop effective means of meeting Toronto's Ontario Works program objectives; and

3)minimize the financial risks to the City of Toronto government associated with the case transfer.

A draft Case Integration Business Plan has been developed based on the best information available, in compliance with the Planning Guidelines and Directives established by the Province. The Plan is also in accordance with several key guiding principles, agreed to by the Planning Implementation Team, which are listed in Appendix 1.

Overall, the Plan describes the integration of single parent and temporary care cases within the Department's overall approach to delivery of the Ontario Works program. It includes detailed plans for transferring files; a service delivery model; a comprehensive communication strategy; a facilities plan assessing infrastructure requirements to accommodate new cases; a description of the technical/information systems and processes required to support the integration plans; human resource plan agreements to support the transfer cases; an implementation timetable; and estimated budgetary requirements. At the time of this report, all of the above areas had been agreed upon by the Province and the Municipality except for the human resource plan and some outstanding budget/program delivery issues. These two areas are discussed in further detail below.

The draft Case Integration Business Plan provides comprehensive information about each of the above areas, and is available from the Clerk's Department for review.

B.Implementation:

This section updates Committee on the current areas still under negotiation. The finalization of a case transfer implementation plan, and its approval by the Province, hinges on reaching mutually acceptable decisions in each of these areas.

1.Human Resource Plan:

Additional staff resources required to manage the new single parent cases have been factored into the Division's 1998 budget. Although ongoing caseload reduction means fewer new staff will be required than forecast, there will still be a need for additional staff.

Based on discussions with the Province, a plan is being developed to satisfy both Municipal and Provincial labour relations requirements. Given that Provincial staff will be displaced, efforts will be made, where possible, to provide qualified Provincial staff with positions once the City's obligations are fulfilled.

Resolution of these issues is critical to making decisions related to the staffing necessary to manage additional cases transferred from the Province. The budget anticipates a phasing-in of the staff positions as the transfer of the caseload occurs.

2.Budget/Program Delivery Model Issues:

The Division has incorporated resources needed to accomplish the transfer into the 1998 budget request, as previously noted. The Division necessarily made assumptions during the budget process, due to an absence of necessary data and information from the Province. Therefore, certain budget and program decisions are being updated as more accurate data is received. Ultimately, the budget will also be affected by the approval of the O.W. Business Plan, which is discussed below. All changes are reported to Council through the regular corporate budget variance reports.

The transfer of F.B.A. cases to the City's Ontario Works program will also significantly affect overall program delivery under O.W. Single parents will now comprise over 40 per cent of the cases, significantly altering the nature of the caseload. New service delivery issues and priorities will arise because of the characteristics and support needs of this population. For example, the average length of stay on social assistance is longer for single parents, compared to other recipients, as is their time out of the labour force. This time away from the labour force can lead to erosion of job skills and inhibit the acquisition of new skills. As a result, single parents often face barriers to employment. Extensive service supports and interventions may therefore be required to assist these clients return to the labour force. In addition, the provision of supports such as child care are essential for single parents who are seeking employment, or who will be participating in the Community Participation or Employment Placement components of OW.

Toronto Social Services Division has recently completed a survey of sole support parents receiving social assistance in Toronto (winter 1997-1998). A report discussing the key findings will be forwarded to Committee in October.

3.Provincial Approval Process:

The draft Plan must now go through the Ministry and Corporate Provincial approval process. Only when all remaining issues are satisfactorily resolved, and Provincial approval is granted, will the actual transfer of cases begin.

4.O.W. Business Plan:

Ultimately, overall staffing levels, program targets, and funding are dependent on Provincial approval of the O.W. 1998 Business Plan, which in turn impacts upon the Division's ability to manage the additional cases to be transferred from the Province. At this time, Provincial approval of the Department's 1998 Business Plan is still pending. Realistically, the transfer process cannot proceed until Provincial approval for the O.W. Business Plan is obtained.

Overall, the F.B.A. caseload transfer is taking place in the context of wholesale changes to all facets of the social services delivery system. This includes the implementation of the new O.W.A. and O.D.S.P.A. legislation, regulations and directives, the introduction of the National Child Benefit Supplement, and the ongoing implementation of the Ontario Works program, all of which have been discussed in recent reports to Council. Over the next several months, the Division will also be required to make substantial changes to the basic technology systems used to manage the caseload. This includes not only upgrades to the Caseworker Technology (C.W.T.) and Ontario Works Technology (O.W.T.) systems but also migration from the MAIN mainframe system to the CIMS mainframe system in order to be year 2000 compliant. Taken together, there will be significant workload implications, affecting a host of administrative and service delivery functions.

Section II: Transfer of Responsibility for Managing Child Care Delivery:

The joint planning process for the transfer of system management responsibility for the additional child care programs was carried out in accordance with the Ministry's "Child Care Implementation Planning Directive." The content of the jointly negotiated transfer plan for child care is described in a report entitled "Transfer Plan for Child Care Services and Adjustments to Child Care Support for Ontario Works" also on this Committee's agenda. In preparation for the imminent transfer of the additional child care programs, the Children's Services Division has been meeting with current service providers from the family resource centres and the special needs service sector to assure a seamless transfer for both clients and operators. In accordance with Provincial requirements, funding and service levels for these programs will be maintained during 1999. They will also be integrated into the City's Child Care Service Planning process.

The Children's Services Division has already received Provincial assurance of one time transitional funding support in the amount of $338,000 for technological activities identified in the child care transfer plan. Ongoing administrative support for the programs being transferred is still under discussion with the Province.

Conclusion:

The Joint Implementation Plan developed by the Community and Neighbourhood Services Department of the City and the Provincial Ministry of Community and Social Services Toronto Area Office reflects cooperative work and planning which will ensure a smooth transfer of the new program responsibilities from the Province to the City. The actual timing of the F.B.A. caseload transfer will depend on the successful negotiation of outstanding human resource and budget/program delivery issues. The Department will update Council as required.

Contact Name:

Heather MacVicar

General Manager, Social Services Division

392-8952

Marna Ramsden

General Manager, Children's Services Division

392-8128

General Manager, Social Services DivisionGeneral Manager, Children's Services Division

Commissioner, Community and Neighbourhood Services

Appendix 1

Draft Case Integration Plan

Guiding Principles

a)the development of a transition process which minimizes potential service disruption to clients, and ensures that the needs of people who rely on these services are met in a timely manner;

b)Provincial and Municipal staff will be treated in a dignified and respectful manner;

c)program integrity will be safeguarded and maintained throughout the transfer process;

d)comprehensive communication strategies for key stakeholders will be timely, informative, and ongoing throughout the process;

e)costs related to the transfer process will be managed in a cost-effective and efficient manner; and

f)opportunities to enhance service delivery and maximize cost-effectiveness will be explored and maximized throughout the planning process.