Services delivered: Supervised Access Program

Component: Supervised Access Program

Legislation: Ministry of Community and Social Services Act and Children’s Law Reform Act

General expectations

Program goals

The goals of the Supervised Access Program are

• To provide a safe, neutral and child-focused setting for visits and exchanges between a child and a parent whose parenting time must be supervised or other family member
• To provide for the safety of all participants, including staff
• To provide trained staff and volunteers who are sensitive to the needs of the child
• To provide reports of factual observations about the participants' use of the service
• To provide supervised access services that are non-stigmatizing and accessible

French language services

Recipients providing services in non-designated areas

The Recipient is required to maintain a list of French language services (FLS) in their area and a referral process to ensure that requests for services in French are directed to appropriate FLS providers in the community.

Recipients providing services in designated areas

If the Recipient is responsible for services in one of the areas designated by the French Language Services Act, in addition to the above requirement, the Recipient will also demonstrate to the Province the following

• Access to FLS: Initial incoming calls are answered in French and over-the-counter services are available in French at all times; there is signage and visibility of available services in French and appropriate means of communicating with the Francophone population
• Communication with stakeholders: All correspondence sent to the Recipient in French receives a reply in French. All materials intended for public distribution are made available simultaneously in English and French. Any forum, meetings or consultation meetings are offered in both French and English
• Written communication: Documents produced for public use are translated into French
• Complaint resolution: A complaint mechanism is identified to support resolution of complaints/issues pertaining to the delivery of FLS that complies with the Complaints Resolutions section in this Service Objectives Document
• Data collection/reporting: Data is collected and reported on regarding the number of individuals receiving FLS, the number of activities/consultations with the Francophone community and other related reporting as requested by the Regional Office

In addition, Recipients that provide services in the areas designated by the French Language Services Act will collaborate with other service providers responsible for the delivery of French Language Services in order for both service providers to meet their obligations.

Complaints resolution

Below are the minimum requirements that transfer payment recipients are expected to meet.

• The Recipient shall have a written service complaint and resolution process
• The Recipient shall ensure the written service complaint and resolution process
• Includes a process about how a complaint can be submitted anonymously to the agency
• Outlines the actions to be taken in response to a complaint
• Includes timelines for acknowledgement of complaints and for responses to complaints
• Outlines circumstances for when additional time is required for responses to complaints
• Outlines all potential internal and external avenues of escalation to be taken if Client/Participant is not satisfied with the resolution
• Acknowledges the complaint and provides assurances that making a complaint will not affect a Client/Participant’s access to services

Information about this process will be publicly available and provided to the Province upon request

• The Recipient will provide all clients/participants, including the parents/guardians and support persons of clients/participants with information about the service complaint and resolution process
• The Recipient shall ensure that all processes and procedures relating to the service complaint and resolution process comply with all applicable accessibility, human rights, and French language services requirements
• The written service complaint and resolution process shall be regularly reviewed and approved by the Recipient's Governing board
• The Recipient will be responsible for retaining records in relation to complaints for seven years from the expiry of the Agreement
• The Recipient will incorporate information and training on the service complaint and resolution process for all new employees and volunteers

Coordination and collaboration

Below are the minimum requirements that transfer payment recipients are expected to meet.

Providing clients with service information & overview of victim rights

• The Recipient will utilize and/or maintain an up-to-date inventory of relevant programs and services available in their community
• The Recipient will make available to all Clients/Participants current resource and information materials on topics relevant to the Program/Service as well as other relevant community support services available in their community
• The Recipient will make information on victims’ rights as outlined in Ontario’s Victims’ Bill of Rights and the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights available to all Clients/Participants

Referrals & system navigation

• The Recipient will offer referrals proactively, as well as at the request of Clients/Participants, where appropriate, to
  • Ensure Clients/Participants have access to inclusive services and supports that meet their diverse, linguistic, cultural, and accessibility needs; and
  • Empower Clients/Participants to access their choice of service provider
• The Recipient will provide assistance to Clients/Participants in accessing other service providers and will facilitate the connection, where appropriate, and with Client/Participant consent
• The Recipient will coordinate with relevant Indigenous organizations and communities to facilitate access to culturally appropriate services for Indigenous Clients/Participants

Partner engagement & collaborative networks

• The Recipient will participate in activities to build cooperative and mutually supportive relationships with other community groups and organizations
• The Recipient will participate in outreach and service promotion activities in collaboration with other service providers to promote Clients’/Participants’ awareness of, and access to services
• The Recipient will build relationships with Indigenous service providers offering culturally appropriate services to Indigenous Clients/Participants
• The Recipient will participate on committees, networks, or community tables that are relevant to the Program/Service where appropriate

Service description

This funding provides separating families with a safe, neutral and child-focused setting to facilitate orders or agreements for the supervision of visits and exchanges between children and other adults such as parents or grandparents where there is a safety concern for the child and/or the adults.

Supervised access centres provide a setting where visits and exchanges can take place under the supervision of trained staff and volunteers through fully supervised on-site visits in a group setting, virtual services and supervised exchanges when access occurs off-site.

Supervised access centres address a number of different situations, which may arise in disputes about parenting time and/or decision-making. Supervised visits may be appropriate in cases where there are concerns about the safety of the child and/or a parent; a history of domestic violence; a parent has a drug or alcohol problem or a mental health problem; there has been a lengthy separation between the parent and the child; or there is a risk of abduction.

When there is unresolved conflict between the parents, a neutral place to exchange children for visits makes access easier to arrange and reduces tension for the child. Supervised exchanges may also be appropriate when it is necessary to determine if the parent who is visiting with the child is under the influence of drugs or alcohol. In other cases, there may be a concern about the safety of a parent during the exchange.

People served

Supervised access centres supervise visits and exchanges in matters involving parenting time and decision-making. Funding is limited to the provision of services to separated families in which a parent or other person (not a Children's Aid Society) is legally responsible for the child.

Referrals to the program can be self-made and/or are accepted from lawyers, mediators, the courts, mental health professionals and other agencies.

A court order for supervised access is preferred but not required. If there is no court order, the parents must have some other signed written agreement.

Additional program/service features

• Supervised Access Centres do not make recommendations. They provide a place for visits and exchanges. Factual observations provided by the supervised access centre may, however, provide information to guide an assessor in making recommendations to the court or may assist the court in making orders that are in the best interest of the child
• The staff and volunteers at the supervised access centres do not provide services such as counselling, mediation, therapy, or parent education
• The staff and volunteers at the supervised access centres do not transport adult or child Participants to or from the service
• There is no limit on the period that a family may use the Centre. In some cases, families require supervised access over a long, or unspecified, period of time (e.g., cases where mental health concerns or violence are issues)
• Each adult Participant will complete a separate intake interview and sign an agreement to follow centre policies and procedures and a release of information form before using the service.
• All services are pre-arranged
• The Supervised Access Program reserves the right to determine provision of service. Dates and times of visits/exchanges are determined by the availability of staff and the facility. All referrals are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. If space is not available, families may be placed on a waiting list and contacted as soon as space becomes available
• The Supervised Access Program provides services that are accessible to the public both in terms of location and hours of operation, specifically evenings and weekend hours

Ministry expectations

The transfer payment recipient will:

• Provide for the effective delivery of the Supervised Access Program, including having the organization infrastructure and capacity to deliver supervised access services;
• Provide services that are safe, neutral and accessible, including offering hours that facilitate weekend visits;
• Employ qualified staff and volunteers to provide service and ensure that they are adequately trained and supervised;
• Ensure the safety of all Participants through the recording and tracking of serious occurrences;
• Develop appropriate policies and procedures for protecting the privacy of personal information of program Participants;
• Be responsible for financial and service performance reporting, including submission of required and requested reports within established time frames; and
• Provide statistical and/or qualitative data requested by the ministry relating to service performance measurement, and as requested, participate in program and service evaluation initiatives established by the ministry;

Reporting requirements

The transfer payment recipient is expected to monitor and evaluate program performance and to confirm that program objectives and deliverables are being met. On an interim and final basis, the transfer payment recipient will submit reports on financial and service data through Transfer Payment Ontario (TPON). The transfer payment recipient will provide a narrative report for the program to the ministry as part of their final report, using the template provided by the ministry.

The following Service data will be reported on at an interim and final basis in TPON. Please refer to your final agreement for report back due dates and targets.