2026–2027 Services delivered: Infant Hearing Program Oversight Agency
Component: Early Intervention
Legislation: Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017
Service description
The Infant Hearing Program (IHP) identifies babies born with permanent hearing loss (PHL) or who are at risk for developing PHL in early childhood and provides them with the services and supports needed to support language development and communication skills. The IHP is delivered through the Infant Hearing Program Oversight Agency.
People served
The Infant Hearing Program serves families with children from birth to school entry.
Program / Service features
The IHP offers screening, diagnostic assessment, amplification evaluation and fitting, family support, and other intervention services which includes connecting families with community resources and local support systems. Services are provided by a variety of professionals including Hearing Screeners, Audiologists, Family Support Workers.
Specific service provided
This program is delivered in accordance with the descriptions provided here or any subsequent updated versions (or any other supporting policy documents provided by the ministry).
Program goals
The goals of the IHP are to:
- identify infants who are born with PHL or who are born at risk of developing PHL in early childhood
- provide infants confirmed with PHL and their families with the necessary intervention services in a timely manner to meet international benchmarks and support the development of language, and
- give infants and children with PHL the opportunity at the best start in life by preparing them for social and academic success to the best of their abilities
Service delivery
Services are child and family-centred and support the diverse needs of families in a way that is culturally safe, and promotes equity, anti-racism, and anti-oppression.
IHP services include:
- hearing screening for all newborns in hospital or community settings
- audiology assessments to identify permanent hearing loss,
- monitoring of children at risk of developing hearing loss
- audiology amplification services and outcome measurement
- family support services, including assessing the family’s and child with PHL’s strengths, support needs, goals, circumstances, and priorities and supporting the family’s understanding of the information provided by the IHP Audiologist
- collaboration with service providers and families (in the delivery of intervention services including the Language Development Pathway for children identified with PHL in the IHP, including for the transition to school). Service providers include Speech-Language Pathologists (through the Preschool Speech and Language program), and American Sign Language (ASL)/Langue des signes Québécoise (LSQ) Consultants (through IHP-ASL services).
Training
The IHP Oversight Agency delivers training and professional development activities for IHP Service Providers.
Program targets
- at least 90% of all newborns born in a given region will receive a successful hearing screen, where "successful" means a Stage 1 Pass (in both ears) or a Stage 2 Pass (in both ears) or a Stage 2 Refer in at least one ear completed at or before three months corrected age
- of the total number of babies screened successfully as above 90% will have their successful screen completed by one month corrected age
- the overall refer rate to audiologic assessment will not exceed 2% of all babies screened
- 75% of all babies with a "refer" result from Universal Newborn Hearing Screening (UNHS) who have an audiology assessment will access it by four months corrected age
- 40% of babies with confirmed Permanent Hearing Loss (PHL) whose families chose amplification will access amplification services no later than 9 months corrected age
Reporting requirements
| Service Data Name | Definition |
|---|---|
| Ministry-funded agency expenditures | Total ministry-funded expenses for the Transfer Payment Recipient to administer and/or deliver this service in the Funding Year (cumulative). |
| # of individuals screened (total): IHP OA | The total number of newborns who received a successful Universal Newborn Hearing Screen across the province during the reporting period. Successful refers to a Stage 1 pass (in both ears) or a Stage 2 pass (in both ears) or a Stage 2 refer in at least one ear completed at or before three months (corrected age). |
| Average wait time from screening to audiology assessment (# of days): IHP OA | The average number of calendar days waited for comprehensive audiology assessment following the completion of Universal Newborn Hearing Screening. |
| Average wait for amplification services (# of days): IHP OA | The total number of professionals in the IHP that were trained. Training refers to those that support improvements in providers’ knowledge, skills, competency in IHP protocols or capacity to better support families'/child's development. |
| # of Training Sessions Delivered: IHP OA | The total number of training sessions that were delivered to IHP professionals to support improvements in their knowledge, skills or capacity to better support families’ and/or children’s development. Training sessions include both in-person or online training modules, webinars and/or workshops. Training sessions do not include mentorship sessions or large group sessions facilitating knowledge-sharing among communities of practice. |
Service and financial data will be reported in Transfer Payment Ontario at an Interim and Final period, informed by IRSS Monitoring Reports. Please refer to your final agreement for report back due dates.
A supplementary report providing additional information may be required (reporting template and dates to be provided separately).