Part 9: Partnership Requirements and Roles and Responsibilities

CTCs will be accountable for the delivery of SmartStart Hubs functions, and will build on and leverage local strengths, existing structures and/or partnerships in communities, including access mechanisms or other entry-points (e.g. PSL providers, ICDP providers), to deliver the Hubs functions.

CTCs may leverage and build on existing partnerships to deliver Hubs functions; for example, incorporating existing community access mechanisms into the entry function of the Hubs, and/or partnering with other children’s service providers to administer the About My Child tool in alignment with the Hubs guidelines.

For example, if an established access mechanism exists in a community, the CTC may choose to partner with the access mechanism to ensure that the ‘clear entry’ functions outlined in these guidelines are delivered by the access mechanism, to avoid disruption to locally-established processes, and confusion for families. The other functions of the Hub (information gathering, connection to services) may still be delivered by the CTC).

If the CTC agrees to have a partner agency delivering any of the functions of the SmartStart Hub, they must have formal partnership agreements in place to ensure accountability for the delivery of the functions. The CTC will be accountable to ensure that:

• There is a clear ‘main door’ for families, and processes are consistent with the SmartStart Hubs policy and practice guidelines
• There is a clear, seamless pathway to the CTC for further clinical assessment and service where necessary
• Information is shared, with consent, so families don’t have to repeat their stories

Organizations that could provide a first point of contact for a family in the children’s services system (e.g. PSL providers, ICDP providers) will be expected to work with CTCs to establish a consistent process/protocol to help determine when a child/youth and family would benefit from the holistic exploration of developmental concerns that SmartStart Hubs will offer, and a protocol for a supported connection to the Hub.

This section lists categories of service providers across a variety of sectors, with specific requirements for communicating, working and/or partnering with organizations.

The purpose of partnerships and the expectations for the roles and responsibilities of service providers/partners will depend on what program or service the partner organization delivers, and whether the partner service provider is funded by MCCSS.

Partnerships may be:

• Formal, requiring formal agreement such as memoranda of understanding (MOUs) and information-sharing agreements that formalize roles and responsibilities of each organization, and
• Informal, where ongoing engagement between partners will support sharing information about service offerings and best practices and ensure that appropriate connections can be made for families.

Partnerships should exist at all levels of the organization, both at the leadership and staff level, to ensure that expectations are clear at the ‘front-lines’ and to streamline service pathways for families.

Formal partners will fall into two categories:

1. service providers/organizations that may be a first point of contact for families accessing children’s services, and will provide supported connections to the Hubs, and
2. those who the Hubs will be required to connect families with, based on an understanding of their needs.

Informal partnerships will involve either engagement with service providers to ensure they send families to the Hub when appropriate, or to develop an understanding of locally-available services in the community that Hubs may want to provide families with information about.

Per the Connections to Services function of the Hubs (see page 34), a supported connection requires that the organization making the connection contacts the service provider, rather than the family, and shares relevant information with the service provider to support the streamlined connection.

Formal: Supported connections to the SmartStart Hub

This category includes partners who may act as the first point of contact with the children’s service sector for many families and have already collected information from the child/family.

These partners will seamlessly connect families to the SmartStart Hubs when appropriate, in a timely manner, and will provide relevant information (with consent) that prevents families from having to retell their story. 

Required Partners:

Formal: Supported Connections from the SmartStart Hub

Hubs will make a supported connections to these service providers, as appropriate, based on the needs of the child and family.

CTCs will seamlessly connect families to these service providers, and will provide relevant information (with consent) to prevent families having to retell their story.

Required Partners:

Informal: Send Families to the SmartStart Hub

Partners who are well-positioned to notice a potential issue with a child’s development (e.g. a teacher or Early Childhood Educator), or whom a family may approach with concerns about their child’s development (e.g. a family doctor).

These partners will have awareness and knowledge of SmartStart Hubs to provide a family with information about the SmartStart Hub, and ways of contacting the Hub.

Required Partners:

Informal: Share Information About Services

These are services that are outside of the scope of Hubs functions, but may help to support a family with a specific need (e.g. newcomers to Canada)

CTCs will provide a family with general information about the service, and a way of contacting the service (for example, a website or phone number)

CTCs will not provide a supported connection to these services, nor assist families to access the services.

Not all of these support services may be applicable in all communities, and there may be other services in specific communities that should be added to the list below

Required Partners:

Partnerships with Indigenous Service Providers

Building relationships with Indigenous partners will be critical to providing culturally relevant services to Indigenous children and youth.

Hubs will be required to provide a culturally-safe, trauma-informed service experience for urban Indigenous children and youth, as well as connections to Indigenous-specific services in the community for Indigenous children and youth.

CTCs will be expected to work with local urban Indigenous service providers and First Nations, Inuit and Métis Partners to review the structures and expectations for service delivery for Indigenous children and families within their service areas and discuss partnerships and protocols for delivering Hubs functions to Indigenous, Métis and Inuit children and families.

For example, if an urban Indigenous service provider has a role in supporting Indigenous families to access culturally relevant services, a formalized agreement or protocol with the Indigenous service provider will need to be established.

Partnerships must respect, and be responsive to, Indigenous jurisdiction and be grounded in the Ontario Indigenous Child and Youth Strategy (see Appendix D) and the Urban Indigenous Action Plan.

Partnerships with Political Territorial Organizations (PTOs)