2024–2025 Services delivered: Youth in Transition Worker and Housing Support Worker program

Component: Child welfare - community and prevention supports

Legislation: Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017 (CYFSA)

Youth-in-transition worker (YITW) service objectives

• To improve the outcomes and increase the resiliency of youth leaving the care of children’s aid societies (societies) by:
• Assisting youth in identifying goals and developing plans consistent with those goals; and
• Helping youth to identify, access, and navigate adult service systems relevant to their needs and plans, as they transition to adulthood

Housing support worker (HSW) service objectives

• To improve the outcomes and increase the resiliency of youth in a Voluntary Youth Services Agreement (VYSA) with a society by helping youth
• Find and retain housing; and
• Identify, access, and navigate service systems relevant to their needs and plans, as they transition to adulthood

YITW service description

The goal of the Youth-in-Transition Worker (YITW) program is to support youth in their successful transition out of the child welfare system into adulthood. YITWs will help youth to develop their goals and plans, and will support youth to identify, access, and navigate adult service systems relevant to their specific and individualized needs in order to pursue their goals. The YITWs will also support youth to connect to existing supports and resources within their communities including, housing supports, education resources, employment services and training, life skills training (e.g. financial management, household management), health and mental health services, and legal services.

YITWs will meet with youth through person-to-person, voice-to-voice, email, text message and other interactions, which may occur in the community or neighbourhood locations or settings. YITW services are expected to be provided flexibly, at times that meet the needs of youth, and that are consistent with the identified needs and goals of youth.

YITWs will work with local community agencies to both inform them of the YITW program, and to become aware of the services available in the community to refer clients. Specifically, YITWs will be expected to work closely with their local societies to ensure that eligible youth know about the YITW program, and to establish a referral process.

Target population

Youth between the ages of 16 and 24 (inclusive) who meet the following criteria

• Are or were formerly in extended society care (previously referred to as Crown Ward),legal custody order under section 102 of the CYFSA, or customary care agreement immediately prior to the youth’s 18th birthday
• Are or were receiving continued care and support through the Ready, Set, Go (RSG) Program;
• Were eligible for support under the Renewed Youth Support Policy (RYS)

Note: The RYS program is being phased out due to the legislative amendments that raised the age of protection. Effective January 1, 2018, 16- and 17-year-olds are eligible for the full range of protection services, including the option for a Voluntary Youth Services Agreement, where appropriate. The cohort who were eligible for RYS immediately prior to January 1, 2018 will remain eligible to receive RYS supports from a society up to the age of 18, and Continued Care and Support for youth from age 18 and ending on their 21st birthday (regardless of whether they had sought RYS supports).at ages 16 and/or 17, whether or not the youth actually received RYS; or were subject to an agreement under s. 37.1 of the CYFSA at the time of their 18th birthday.

HSW service description

The goal of the Housing Support Worker (HSW) Program is to provide housing supports and services to youth who are 16- and 17-years old and are subject to a written agreement with a society for the provision of services on a voluntary basis (VYSA). HSWs help youth to develop and pursue their housing goals, and will support them to identify, access, and navigate service systems relevant to their specific needs. HSWs also support youth to connect to existing supports and resources within their communities including education resources, employment services and training, life skills training (e.g. financial management, household management), health and mental health services, and legal services.

HSWs meet with youth through person-to-person, voice-to-voice, email and other interactions, which may occur in the community or neighbourhood locations or settings. HSW services are provided beyond regular business hours (i.e. 9 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday), and are flexible to meet the needs of the youth.

HSWs work with local community agencies to both inform them of the HSW program, and to become aware of the services available in the community that can support the various needs of youth who are accessing the HSW program.

Specifically, HSWs are expected to work closely with the societies in the region they are located to ensure all eligible youth have access to the program. HSWs are also encouraged to leverage the experience and expertise of YITWs in their region/agency.

Target population

The priority of the HSW program is to provide housing supports and services to youth aged 16 or 17 who are parties to a written agreement with a society for the provision of services on a voluntary basis (VYSA). However, if the HSW has capacity, they may also support youth who are

• 16 or 17, receiving services from a society, and not yet in a VYSA; and/or
• 16 or 17, not receiving services from a society, and need help being connected to services and supports from a society

YITW program/service features

The transfer payment recipient will ensure that the Youth-in-Transition Workers

• Assess youth for program eligibility
• Help eligible youth develop and achieve the goals they have set for themselves through the program and/or through their plan of care or youth plan with the society
• Participate in the case planning process (e.g., youth transition conferences) with societies and youth with respect to the youth’s needs
• Support eligible youth to identify, access and navigate adult service systems relevant to their needs, and transition to adulthood
• Facilitate access for eligible youth to existing supports and resources in the community, by providing information and referrals for individual youth that address individual needs and support/reinforce strengths. The resources and supports may include
  • Housing supports education resources
  • Employment services and training
  • Life skills training (e.g. financial management, household management) health and mental health services; and legal services
  • Life skills training (e.g. financial management, household management)
  • Health and mental health services; and
  • Legal services
• Support eligible youth to develop and maintain relationships with responsible, caring adults in the community to help them as they transition to adulthood
• Foster communication and linkages with community agencies/ organizations to improve access and mitigate barriers to services for eligible youth
• Work with local CASs to develop a referral approach, and to create awareness of the program among eligible youth

HSW program/service features

The transfer payment recipient will ensure that the Housing Support Worker

• Advocates for the specific housing needs of the new cohort of eligible youth to municipal service managers, and local housing providers
• Supports provincial YITWs through peer consultations, and participating in agency delivered workshops that would help society and community-based workers provide housing support to youth leaving care
• Works closely with the societies located in their region to ensure all eligible youth have access to the HSW program
• Participates in the case planning process (e.g., youth transition conferences) with societies and youth with respect to the youth’s housing needs
• Assists youth with identifying their housing needs, searching for and viewing housing, and applying for housing; and
• Provides ongoing support to youth to sustain/keep housing ( e.g., life-skills programming, such as financial management, budgeting, household management, tenant skills)

YITWs program goals

Services will be

• Targeted and goal focused, based on the needs of the youth, including their goals as identified through the program or in the youth’s plan of care and/or youth plan with the society
• Reflective of and responsive to the youth’s individual needs
• Accountable to the individual and community
• Sensitive to the social, linguistic and cultural diversity of youth
• Staffed by individuals with the appropriate range of skills and abilities necessary to respond effectively to the needs of youth
• Based on the youth’s individual assessed needs and preferences, and the availability of individual, agency, community and contracted ministry resources

HSW program goals

Services will be

• Reflective of and responsive to the youth’s individual needs, including their goals as identified through the program or in the youth’s plan of care and/or youth plan with the society
• Accountable to the individual youth and community
• Sensitive to the social, linguistic and cultural diversity of youth
• Staffed by individuals with the appropriate range of skills and abilities necessary to respond effectively to the housing needs of youth; and
• Based on the individual's assessed needs and preferences, and available individual, agency, community and contracted ministry resources

Ministry expectations

The transfer payment recipient will

• Provide for effective delivery of the YITW and/or HSW program
• Establish and build both informal and formal inter-agency linkages and/or partnerships to strengthen/enhance service provision. This includes implementing referral processes with the local societies (YITW and HSW program), and other local community agencies (YITW program). The transfer payment recipient should consider completing a protocol with the society/societies outlining the referral process, communication, dispute resolution, monitoring and evaluation
• 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

The transfer payment recipient is responsible for the following activities

• Overall YITW and/or HSW program administration and delivery, including agreed upon program activities
• Financial and service performance reporting, including submission of required and requested reports within established time frames
• Employing the agreed number of YITWs/HSWs (full-time equivalent positions)
• Providing or ensuring supervision of YITWs/HSWs
• Providing or ensuring training of YITWs/HSWs, including training on personal safety in a community setting
• Reporting serious incidents involving YITWs/HSWs and youth participants when in the company of YITWs/HSWs, to the ministry’s Regional Office
• Developing appropriate policies and procedures for protecting the privacy of personal information collected from youth participants. The policies and procedures that are developed by the transfer payment recipient shall comply with the Youth Criminal Justice Act, including Part 6, when the information and records relate to young persons as defined by the Youth Criminal Justice Act, and the confidentiality provisions relating to children who are the subject of a child welfare proceeding and Part X (Personal Information) under the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017

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.

Reporting requirements

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.