Making Developmental Services Better in Ontario – Your feedback could help make change!
Recently launched, Let’s Talk About Making Developmental Services Better in Ontario is an online discussion and survey to support planned reform of Ontario’s Developmental Services sector. The Ministry is seeking ideas, comments, and feedback to help improve supports for people with developmental disabilities across Ontario.
Your voice is needed. This is your opportunity to be a part of the community consultation with MCCSS.
The consultation survey will close on December 4, 2020. The survey takes about 45 minutes to complete, and includes their current vision, and the principles that are guiding MCCSS with their potential future changes.
Take the Survey at https://www.mcss.gov.on.ca/wp/en/programs/developmental-services/making-ds-better-in-ontario/
Want a preview? Below is pulled directly from the consultation survey.
Why we are doing this
The Government of Ontario wants to improve supports for people with developmental disabilities. We want people to:
- have choices and have an easier way to get the supports they need
- feel like they belong and be a part of their communities
- have better outcomes
To help make this happen, we will need to make changes to the system.
This paper shows lots of things we can talk about to make services better. There are also some questions in this paper we would like to hear from you about.
There are lots of ideas to think about. We need your help to try and get these changes right.
You could to talk to a family member, friend or someone else you trust if you need help with the information and questions in this paper.
You don’t need to answer all the questions in this paper if you don’t want to. You can give answers to the ones you want to and leave the others blank.
Thank you for your time and sharing your ideas.
What we have heard from people before
The government has talked to lots of people about developmental services over the years. Here is what they told us.
People are confused. They want an easier way to get the help they need
They want more choices and for things to be simpler.
People are tired of waiting for supports.
People feel it’s too hard to get an assessment. They also think it takes too long to get supports.
People want more control over money
People want to get the help that works best for them. They want to use the money they get for what they really need.
Service providers want to know what will happen
They want enough money to pay their bills and provide services.
Finding and hiring staff is not easy
People and families have said it can be hard to find support workers. Sometimes they don’t get enough money to hire a worker.
The government has made some changes to fix these problems. We want to do more. We need your help to do that.
How COVID-19 has affected services and supports
COVID-19 has changed how people take part in activities or get help. This is mostly done by computer or on the phone. Some people may feel more lonely now. This can be hard for them and their families. Some of these changes will go on for some time.
COVID-19 has made us think about services in different ways. For example, some agencies are using things like FaceTime and Zoom for activities and to keep in touch with people and their families.
To help people deal with COVID-19, the government has made changes to programs. People can now use their Passport funding for more things. The government has also given more money to agencies to try and stop the spread of COVID-19.
Draft vision and principles
The government has some ideas about how to make the system better.
Our vision
We want people with developmental disabilities to be included and feel like they belong in their communities. We want them to have choices and the right supports to live more independently.
Principles to guide our work
These are some ideas that can help us think about making changes to the system
- People should get support based on their needs.
- Services should build on the help people get from their families and in their communities.
- People should have more control over their funding and supports.
- People should get help with problems before they start. This can mean helping people earlier.
- Services should be high quality. People should be able to share ideas on how to improve services.
- The government should make sure the system can continue to provide supports people need.
- Services should help people stay healthy and safe.
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