The board of the Coordinating Agency is accountable to the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services for the oversight and delivery of Coordinated Service Planning within the service delivery area.

To enable oversight and collaboration, the Coordinating Agency is required to maintain a cross-sectoral collaborative steering mechanism to oversee the partnerships that support Coordinated Service Planning. The steering mechanism must have a Terms of Reference, developed in partnership with Coordinated Service Planning Providers and Participants.

Steering mechanisms will include a process for seeking input and feedback from the key partners in Coordinated Service Planning, including:

  • Families who use the service;
  • Children and youth who use the service;
  • Service Planning Coordinators;
  • Coordinated Service Planning Providers; and
  • Coordinated Service Planning Participants

The cross-sectoral steering mechanism for Coordinated Service Planning will also review performance measurement results at least annually and develop plans for improvement where necessary. The steering mechanism will prepare annual reports that describe how cross-sectoral partners are working together to provide seamless and child-, youth- and family-centred service experiences and plans for improvement where necessary. These reports will be signed by all members of the cross-sectoral steering mechanism and submitted to the MCCSS Regional Office at the end of each fiscal year. MCCSS will share the reports with EDU and MOHLTC.

Coordinating Agencies will also have formal agreements and/or Memoranda of Understanding with Coordinated Service Planning Providers and Participants covering the essentials of the service. At a minimum, these agreements will include:

  • A shared vision and goals for Coordinated Service Planning;
  • A common definition of child-, youth- and family-centred service;
  • A commitment to the delivery of seamless and child-, youth- and family-centred Coordinated Service Planning;
  • Roles and responsibilities;
  • Referral processes;
  • Information sharing processes;
  • Dispute resolution processes among agencies;
  • Processes for multiple sectors and agencies to collaborate in cross-sectoral Coordinated Service Plans;
  • A commitment to exploring flexible and innovative approaches for service delivery to meet the needs of children, youth and their families; and
  • How the Coordinated Service Planning Provider will be accountable to the Coordinating Agency for the delivery of Coordinated Service Planning.

MCCSS-funded Coordinated Service Planning Providers and Participants (see pages 32 and 33) will have expectations for their participation in Coordinated Service Planning identified in their MCCSS service contracts.