Services delivered: OAP - provider list

Component: Autism

Legislation: Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017

Service description

The OAP Provider List is an online database of the following service providers for children and youth on the autism spectrum

  • clinical supervisors of applied behaviour analysis services
  • speech-language pathologists
  • occupational therapists

People served

Service providers and families of children and youth with autism spectrum disorder.

Program/service features

The Provider List will support Ontario families as they search for, select, and confirm the qualifications of their autism service providers. During the period covered by this service contract, the Provider List will be voluntary, meaning that families receiving OAP funding can continue to hire clinical supervisors of applied behaviour analysis (ABA) services, speech- language pathologists, and occupational therapists who have not yet joined the Provider List.

Qualifications for clinical supervisors of ABA services

Individuals who wish to join the OAP Provider List as a clinical supervisor of ABA services must meet the following qualifications requirements

Have one of the following professional designations

  • Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA)
  • Board Certified Behavior Analyst – Doctoral (BCBA-D)
  • Clinical Psychologist or Psychological Associate registered with the College of Psychologists of Ontario with documented expertise in applied behaviour analysis (ABA).have at least 3,000 hours post-certification/registration experience (typically completed over two years) delivering ABA services to children and youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder (including a minimum of 1,500 post-certification hours involving supervisory duties)
  • have a vulnerable sector screening or police records background check
  • have professional liability insurance (purchased individually or through an employer)
  • adhere to a professional code of conduct (e.g., Behavior Analyst Certification Board Professional and Ethical Compliance Code; College of Psychologists of Ontario Standards of Professional Conduct)

Qualifications for speech-language pathologists

Speech-language pathologists who wish to join the OAP Provider List must meet the following qualifications requirements

  • be registered and in good standing with the College of Audiologists and Speech- Language Pathologists of Ontario (CASLPO )
  • have at least one year of post-registration experience providing direct treatment/intervention to autistic children and youth, acquired within the last five years. This one year of experience must follow completion of the CASLPO mentoring process. Experience providing only indirect services (for example not seeing clients or families on a regular basis to support the use of specific strategies to help clients meet their goals) does not count towards the one-year experience requirement
  • have a recent vulnerable sector screening or police records background check, completed within the past year
  • as part of their College registration, providers must have professional liability insurance (purchased individually or through an employer)
  • adhere to a professional code of ethics (such as the CASLPO code of ethics) and standards of the profession

Qualifications for occupational therapists

Occupational therapists who wish to join the OAP Provider List must meet the following qualifications requirements

  • be registered and in good standing with the College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario (COTO )
  • have at least one year of post-registration experience providing direct treatment/intervention to autistic children and youth, acquired within the last five years. Experience providing only indirect services (for example not seeing clients or families on a regular basis to support the use of specific strategies to help clients meet their goals) does not count towards the one-year experience requirement
  • have a recent vulnerable sector screening or police records background check, completed within the past year
  • as part of their College registration, providers must have professional liability insurance (purchased individually or through an employer)
  • adhere to a professional code of ethics (such as COTO code of ethics) and standards of the profession

Specific service provided

The Transfer Payment Recipient is responsible for designing, implementing, and running the OAP Provider List. This includes the following areas of work

Develop and deliver core processes

  • The Transfer Payment Recipient will develop and run four core Provider List business processes, in accordance with clear guidelines

Approval

  • review application packages and confirm each applicant’s credentials and experience to the extent possible through supporting documentation and reference checks
  • render a decision on each application (approve or refuse)

Renewal

renew memberships annually, per established operational processes.

Complaints referral

  • review and make a record of incoming complaints about Provider List members, seeking additional information from complainants as needed
  • if appropriate, forward complaints to the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB), the College of Psychologists of Ontario (CPO), the College of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists of Ontario (CASLPO ), the College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario (COTO ), and/or another third-party, such as local police services, depending on the qualifications of the member and the nature of the complaint
  • regularly review the registries of the BACB, CPO, CASLPO , and COTO to identify and monitor any incoming third-party complaints
  • based on the outcome of a third-party complaint review, render a decision on whether or not to change the status of a Provider List member as appropriate, in accordance with clear guidelines (remove, suspend, or make no changes)

Appeals

  • review appeals from Provider List applicants, members or former members regarding the following decisions
  • their application was refused
  • they were removed or suspended from the Provider List

The Transfer Payment Recipient will prepare all operational policies, forms, templates, agreements, instructions, and guidelines needed to administer these processes.

Build and maintain digital platforms

The Transfer Payment Recipient will build and maintain all digital platforms to house the Provider List. These platforms will be housed on a website independent of the ministry website, and will include:

  • a publicly-accessible online database of approved Provider List members
  • an applicant and member portal, where individuals can apply for membership and renew their membership. The portal may also allow members to make a limited number of edits to the unverified information on their public profiles (e.g., languages spoken, contact details)

Develop and implement communications materials

The Transfer Payment Recipient will develop and implement communications and social media/marketing strategies to promote the Provider List to providers and to families and will prepare all copy for the Provider List website.

Convene advisory committees

The Transfer Payment Recipient will assemble an Advisory Panel to provide advice on the approval, renewal, removal, and suspension of specific members, on a case-by-case basis. The Advisory Panel will also provide advice to help inform the ongoing design and implementation of Provider List policies and processes.

The Advisory Panel will consist of at least four members, including

  • at least one Board Certified Behavior Analyst
  • at least one Psychologist or Psychological Associate
  • at least one Occupational Therapist
  • at least one Speech-Language Pathologist

The Transfer Payment Recipient will also assemble an Appeals Committee to review appeals. The Appeals Committee will include

  • at least one Board Certified Behavior Analyst or Psychologist/Psychological Associate
  • at least one Occupational Therapist
  • at least one Speech-Language Pathologist

Program goals

The objectives of the Ontario Autism Program (OAP) Provider List are to

  • maintain a publicly accessible online database of qualified providers used to connect families with professionals who have the training and experience to provide safe, high-quality autism services for children and youth
  • protect the public from unqualified, unfit, and/or incompetent service providers to the best extent possible

Ministry expectations

The Transfer Payment Recipient will be

  • reflective and responsive to individual, family, and community strengths and needs
  • accountable to the individual, family, and community
  • sensitive to the social, linguistic, geographic and cultural diversity of families and Indigenous communities
  • staffed by individuals with the appropriate range of skills and abilities necessary to respond effectively to the needs of children/youth and their families

Reporting requirements

Service data will be reported on at an Interim and Final stage. Please refer to your final agreement for report back due dates and targets.

Service data name Definition

# of Applications Received: OAP Provider List

The total number of new applications the Transfer Payment Recipient received within the reporting period.

# of Successful Applicants (Behavioural Clinicians): OAP Provider List

The total number of behavioural clinicians who were approved to join the Provider List within the reporting period.

# of Successful Applicants (Occupational Therapists): OAP Provider List

The total number of Occupational Therapists who were approved to join the Provider List within the reporting period.

# of Successful Applicants (Speech-Language Pathologists): OAP Provider List

The total number of Speech-Language Pathologists who were approved to join the Provider List within the reporting period.

# of Unsuccessful Applicants: OAP Provider List

The total number of applicants who were refused membership on the Provider List within the reporting period.

Ministry-funded Agency Expenditures: OAP Provider List

Total ministry-funded expenses for the Transfer Payment Recipient to administer and/or deliver this service in the Funding Year (cumulative).

# of Days to Process Each Application (Average): OAP Provider List

The average number of working days for the Transfer Payment Recipient to process each application. This is counted from the date the TPR received applicant’s application package to the date TPR notified applicant of decision in writing.

OAP Provider List: # of Appeals

The total number of eligible appeals received by the Transfer Payment Recipient within the reporting period. Eligible appeals are those filed within appeal deadline specified on a letter of notification.

OAP Provider List: # of Complaints Received

The total number of unique complaints that were submitted in writing to the Transfer Payment Recipient within the reporting period. This number should include all complaints submitted, including those that are not eligible for referral.

# of Renewal Applications
(Cumulative): OAP Provider List

The total number of members who completed the annual renewal process to maintain membership on the Provider List within the reporting period.

# of Renewed Members
(Cumulative): OAP Provider List

The total number of members who were approved to be renewed and maintain membership on the Provider List within the reporting period.