General recommendations

SOLGEN, MCCSS and CSC in conjunction with OPSEU/SEFPO and the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers (UCCO-SACC-CSN):

  1. Enhanced recognition of CSE as belonging to the family of PSP should be improved via a public education campaign as well as internally to recognize the excellence and commitment of staff and should include:
    1. Specific organizational/staff-selected recognition of individual CSE and/or their specific team(s). This recognition could occur via regular ceremonies and/or newsletters to all staff and the public as applicable and/or by educational campaigns for the public to enhance their awareness of the quality of work and risks encountered by CSE.
  2. Consider implementation of an educational and a validated ongoing assessment system of staff to be utilized throughout the various stages of the employee lifecycle that is customized to meet their needs. It must be emphasized that CSE are unique, and a policing model alone is insufficient, and this approach should be inclusive of CSE-specific challenges. Training about the work environment and culture they are entering is a necessity. This system of education and assessment should be inclusive of the following:
    1. Training prior to placement at work, as well as refresher training for staff/leadership as required that is inclusive of but not limited to the following:
      1. Provide trainees/employees ability to develop mental health literacy that includes recognition of mental health-related symptoms as well as symptoms related to occupational health-related mental stress injuries specific to CSE. This training should be reinforced and provided in an ongoing manner throughout their career as a CSE as well as be provided in a manner free of stigmatizing those who require supports.
      2. SafeTALK training: to assist in the identification of people thinking about suicide and how to connect them with appropriate resources.
      3. ASIST training – Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training, with customization to CS.
      4. Resilience-related or other community-based Mindful Resilience training programs. Annual training and/or refresher courses for further development of resilience skills should be considered.
      5. Training of all new staff on the recognition and management of stigma-related challenges in correctional services workplaces generated by press-related and/or community-based commentary.
      6. Training schedules of all new staff should consider the addition of one further week, as a minimum, to the funded training schedule and funding for the new staff/recruits be included to incorporate (i) – (v) above if not already in place. Other changes to training could also be incorporated such as adult learning-related principles.
      7. Training should be established with the goal of normalizing the ability of all staff to have the knowledge and comfort to seek help and support as required while preventing inadvertently communicating that suicide is “normal” or an “expected” possible outcome.
      8. The current funding model related to provision of benefits for CSE mental health and other health/wellness-related services should be reviewed to maximize services provided to staff.
    2. Regular completion of surveys, securely administered by an experienced external private resource that assesses CSE at an agreed upon interval from weekly to a set number of weeks/months (with an agreed upon minimum) that could be completed at the end of their shift during work hours. This should be done at a secure computer location ensuring privacy to assess their current state while also assessing for the risk of depression, anxiety, dependency-related behaviours (drug/alcohol/exercise/other) and PTSD. Consideration of also collecting protective factors noted to be present for staff. On a quarterly or semi-annual basis, the survey could be more in depth. Inclusion of potential stressors on and supports from family should be considered for inclusion for their active analysis. How these surveys look, how the results are shared and how confidentiality is maintained should be provided to CSE:
      1. The specific survey results and feedback would be provided only to the individual staff member, and they should have access to their own results through a secure external online portal. Feedback should inform the CSE of the potential need for seeking any important support/interventions as required with follow-up surveys assessing if any interventions were sought and their impact.
      2. Survey confidentiality, scheduling, implementation, timing and analysis would be communicated to all staff at the time of training and/or as part of their onboarding.
      3. Aggregated data from all the surveys could be provided to the providers of the CS informing them of the scores by institutions inclusive of any positive or concerning trends in the results obtained.
      4. The recommendations provided to the CSE should be informed by the available resources to those individuals tailored to the issue(s) of concern and their location. The list of resources should be developed and reviewed by service providers and healthcare-related staff specific to the institution and region involved.
      5. Specific Unions be provided aggregated, deidentified data from surveys related to CSE, their overall results, concerns, and changes noted over the lifespan of the survey results.
    3. Provincial and federal correctional service providers and their respective unions consider annual review of results to inform their respective programs for education and wellness programs implementation, enhancement and evaluation.
    4. Provincial and federal correctional service providers work together to ensure provision and integration of any relevant resources and services provided to employees, and their families when applicable, similar in quality and content between both levels of government.
    5. Data analysis and integration should be inclusive of and in collaboration with academic partners throughout to help inform ongoing program reform and development.
  3. Consider implementation of a specific Employee Support Team (EST) within Correctional Services that is composed of some of the following (but not limited to): a mental health clinician and/or correctionally trained occupational therapist, nurse, social worker and/or psychologist. They could oversee the communications with all CSE who require any supports, who are on-leave, and those who are retiring/retired. This team would communicate with all relevant sites of service provision (adult and youth) as well as all work locations to ensure a comprehensive list of service providers, community supports, peer supports/programs, other relevant resources are maintained and relevant to staff in that region.
    1. This team could consider ensuring each institution has an “ambassador”/“system navigator” to communicate the resources that may be required for the specific needs of that institution and be incorporated into the current Corrections Employee Wellness Unit provincially/federally. The ambassador could also be a known peer support person as nominated/selected by staff.
    2. The development of all return-to-work plans are reviewed by the EST as well as communicated with staff when developed and/or updated.
    3. The presence of in-person resources be developed as often as possible so as not to rely solely on online, app-related, or other non-personal modes of communication. These resources should be provided confidentially to all staff.
    4. Ensure that the model of overall wellness be inclusive of physical, emotional, financial, spiritual, social, legal and cultural aspects of each employee.
      1. Indigenous, Black and racialized and 2SLGBTQIA+ staff require specific gender and culturally appropriate support and resources to ensure overall wellness along with the removal of any barriers to care given the added risks and stigma.
      2. Staff with specific physical, social or other disabilities be provided similar supports and resources. Social situations such as single parents, parents who are breastfeeding or parenting children with special needs are further examples of groups requiring inclusion.
    5. Integration and collaboration with the several community-based service organizations that provide supports to CSE should be included in training and program development and implementation as appropriate.

To the Government of Ontario and Government of Canada, Correctional Services, (Correctional Service Canada):

  1. Consider the development and implementation of legislation, similar to the Quality-of-Care Information Protection Act, 2016, S.O. 2016, c. 6, Sched. 2, to allow for the analysis of defined critical incidents to ensure information sharing to occur internally for quality improvement while ensuring legal protection to those individuals providing the information for both program and operational staff. The following principles could assist in the development of this process and the legislation required:
    1. A culture of learning, supported by appropriate policies, that focuses on quality improvement, consistency in approach, error identification and analysis and informed program changes by those with expertise related to the specific problem(s) identified not necessarily those with higher organizational authority.
    2. The importance of confidentiality and safety be reiterated as a guiding process to ensure that the organizational and employment culture change occurs and unites with a coordinated quality-informed and focused approach.
    3. Summary of findings and themes identified during these reviews to be shared on an annual basis with recognized partners in the provision of correctional services, including but not limited to unions, service providers and researchers within the correctional field.
  2. Consideration be given to possible legislative change in the Criminal Code of Canada to specifically address acts of violence to correctional service employees and/or their families by individuals or a proxy within a correctional institution or under supervision in the community.

To SOLGEN, CSC:

  1. Consider anonymous general surveys of all CSE staff across all areas that is administered by external individuals/agencies at mutually agreed upon intervals by staff, management, unions and the external reviewers and is inclusive of the following aspects of their employment:
    1. Overall wellbeing and health of staff.
    2. Identification of educational training programs that are working well, that would be helpful to have or that require modifications or even removal.
    3. Site specific hazard identification or risks that are identified by the various CSE for their specific locations that requires their risk be assessed and reported back to staff regarding findings and outcomes.
    4. Document the staff proposals for any proposed future modifications and/or new programs to improve the provision correctional services within the Province of Ontario and the response provided.
    5. Publication of a summary of these findings related to Correctional Service Provision to Unions and any other relevant organizations suggested by staff.
  2. CS, both provincially and federally, in conjunction with Unions ensure the provision of information and supports to the employees’ respective families that are currently provided be enhanced, as necessary, to include:
    1. Informing all families of resources available to them as a family members of a PSP (such as provided by the Warrior Health program provincially).
    2. Consider inclusion of interested family to be able to visit an employee’s workplace or other agreed upon location to understand their work-related environment and expectations. When work site visits are not possible, for privacy or security reasons, consideration should be given to planned information sessions for interested family/friends of CSE.

  3. Consider creation of a dashboard for each correctional institution and community probation/parole office that has a publicly accessible component that documents the following:

    1. Occupancy rates in the institutions with number of persons/cells.
    2. Average caseloads, expected versus actual, for community probation/parole.
    3. Staffing numbers with a total number of staff, number on leave, numbers of sick calls/day, average duration of absence, hiring numbers and retirement numbers for a specific time such as quarterly.
    4. Number of lockdowns and the sites, unfilled nursing shifts, contraband seizures and assaults of staff by location and nature of assault.
    5. Consideration be given to establishing maximum numbers for correctional institutions and the individual cells as well as for the case numbers for workers in probation/parole.

    A. Pre-placement/training recommendations

    To CS at SOLGEN, MCCSS (including Transfer Payment Recipient (TPR) Agencies) and CSC:

    1. Validated screening and/or assessment of all staff applying to work as a CSE to ensure a comprehensive assessment for psychological and workplace readiness of the recruit that is as inclusive of possible of each person’s diverse background. This could include an assessment for any repetitive risk behaviours (such as alcohol/substance use disorder as well as others). Communication should be shared with the applicant prior to completing this assessment regarding the relevance of this assessment related to their job-specific application. Screening could be informed by similar processes in other agencies (military, some police services). Assurances must also be in place to maintain confidentiality and that there are no violations of the individual’s rights.
    2. A minimum set of courses/training, inclusive of recommendation 2 above, be completed by all staff as part of employment and/or pre-placement onboarding as a CSE with the following specific additional recommendations:
      1. The provision of initial and refresher training should be tailored to as much in-person training vs. online training to ensure and enhance direct knowledge translation to the trainee.
      2. CSE working within probation/parole should have specific training with respect to community resources, safety training (both mental/physical health), environmental risk assessment training and access to mentors for any encounters that require it. Case files related, but not limited, to domestic violence, sexual offences, violent and/or gun-related crimes should be considered for mandatory review for new employees with a designated mentor support (in person ideally but virtually if required) daily for a minimum of 3-6 months when hired.
      3. Training at youth justice secure/open custody/detention facilities operated by TPR and staffed by non-government employees (TPR staff), be expected to have the same/similar level of training and supervision as required by those government-run institutions. The funding for this training and staffing should be incorporated into the current funding model and may require the establishment of an advisory committee comprised of both ministry and TPR staff to support CSE.
      4. Onboarding training for CSE working in specific institutions, or those transferred to these institutions, be inclusive of site-specific conditions, procedures, expectations, challenges and possible hazards by educators with experience working in those specific institutions.
      5. Volunteers and agency staff have a minimum amount of training prior to placement/employment. Agency staff requirements would be significantly more than volunteers and should be similar to employees that are pre-placement.
    3. Healthcare-related staff should be considered as also requiring fixed training, if not already mandatory, that is inclusive of: mental health training; mentorship-related discussions with a selected peer to address the risks of moral injuries and institutional-related harms.
      1. Any staff required to review incident reports or other highly sensitive information should also be included in programed training regarding mental health supports and services.

    B. Employed staff recommendations

    To CS at SOLGEN, MCCSS and CSC:

    1. For all staff:
      1. Work with the Employee Family and Assistance Program (EFAP) to ensure their staff working with CSE have training and awareness of the specific issues that are commonly seen. Specific resources and training should be tailored to CSE, and their experiences as well provide the EFAP provider’s more thorough situational awareness of the CSE staff needs and their experiences. This would also assist in minimizing stress for EFAP staff and ensure they are not traumatized by the details being presented to them.
      2. Peer Support Services should be connected with the EST (Recommendation #3) to ensure adequacy of their training, identification of resources required and ongoing support to all staff working with and requesting assistance from this service.
        1. Peer support workers, who staff could help select, should be ensured dedicated time be included in their workday to assist in the provision of service as well as be provided appropriate external supervision.
      3. All staff should have access to an easy to obtain list of diverse, accessible resources, the services provided, and those that are available 24/7 for times of crisis. These resources should be very specific to ensure the CSE are clearly aware of how to contact the resource as well as who to contact.
      4. Provision of dependency-related treatment resources for a variety of conditions such as alcohol, drugs, exercise, gambling, sex, internet/social media, food, shopping and any other related behaviours as noted by the employee.
      5. Provision of training, as needed, for all staff on immediate techniques/maneuvers to implement when there is self-recognition of elevated levels of stress in a manner similar to training for conflict resolution, firearms training and/or self-defense.
      6. The current funding model related to provision of benefits for mental health and other health/wellness-related services should be reviewed to maximize services provided to staff.
    2. For newly hired employees:
      1. Regular reviews with newly employed staff occur quarterly with a designated/peer support person, chosen by employee in conjunction with the EST if applicable, for at least first two years employed that includes screening of overall health and wellbeing as well as adaptation to work environment and culture.
      2. Employees in their first two years be paired with an employee at the same institution/location with at least 2-3 years’ experience (if available) as a possible mentor. This mentor should receive appropriate training and clear guidelines for this role as well as protected time during working hours. A process for switching mentors should be developed for situations that may require this to occur.
      3. Consider ensuring that supports exist for new staff in their first year for end of shift discussions, debriefing or other processes as required by designated staff from the available shift who are selected by the staff (possible in conjunction with the EST).
      4. Enhance educational resources for new staff to ensure those on varying shifts (day/overnight) have knowledge of the potential effect on their health and wellbeing are known and how to best mitigate their impact. Training should also be inclusive on WSIB services and the application process.
      5. All new staff, agency staff and volunteers be provided a resource list of supports (in person, online or by phone) as part of the onboarding of that individual. These lists should be reviewed and/or updated bi-annually.
    3. Staff with greater than 2 years of employment in their position:
      1. Ensure ongoing assessments of staff as discussed in previous recommendations and encourage communication with internal resources as available (EST, peer supports).
      2. Consider engagement of staff for mentorship opportunities and training of new recruited staff depending on location and position.

    To Ministry of Attorney General, SOLGEN, OCC/OFPS:

    1. CSE staff should be given resources related to any work-related court or inquest testimony that is required of them that is inclusive, but not necessarily limited to: regular quarterly/bi-annual updates on when testimony will occur; how to provide effective testimony; what will be required of the specific individual and the purpose of the testimony; referral to supportive resources as may be required resulting from any concerns expressed by the CSE resulting from these communications.
    2. Crown attorneys and the judiciary should have access to the dashboards, discussed in Recommendation 8, and possible limitations for the institution or community program that may exist to enhance situational awareness.

C. Staff on leave (administrative or health-related)

To CS at SOLGEN, MCCSS and CSC:

  1. Communication with staff who are on leave from their position and who consent to this process should be provided regular communication for updates to and from the affected employee.
    1. Communication with the person on leave should occur with a staff member with whom they wish to communicate for updates (from and to the staff person). This individual should be connected with the Employee Support Team (Recommendation 3, EST) and their resources.
    2. Communications with the staff person should occur at a minimum of quarterly with degree/amount of communication occurring as needed by the case-specific requirements, including where possible the expressed wishes of the employee. These communications should ensure the staff person is having their needs and requirements addressed while working toward a possible return to work if possible.

To WSIB, SOLGEN, MCCSS and CSC:

  1. The presumptive diagnosis requirement of PTSD only for PSP be expanded to include other diagnoses including major depressive disorder, anxiety/panic disorder, substance use/addictive disorders and subclinical PTSD as well as:
    1. Continue working with all relevant agencies assisting the worker related to their WSIB application and any challenges that require to be addressed.
    2. WSIB should review the criteria that exists related to certain CSE currently not covered as well as to workers with preexisting work-related complaints that have worsened with the goal of enhanced access to appropriate resources and treatment including the traumatic/chronic mental stress criteria.
    3. WSIB-related supports should continue to be provided to those employees who remain working to ensure their health and well-being (do not need to be off work to provide supports/services) if not already in place. Manager at CS to be connected with WSIB should be known and agreed upon by the employee and potentially their disability coordinator/support person within the EST (Recommendation 3) with a known goal and plan for a return to work whenever possible.
  2. If a death by suicide occurs in a CSE there should be consideration that WSIB work with families, employers and health care providers to consider management pathways for the family, with their consent, if there was not any prior WSIB involvement.
  3. Consideration should be given to possible recommendations for service provision possibilities or options to those whose WSIB claims are denied.

D. Retirement

To CS at SOLGEN, MCCSS and CSC and their unions:

  1. The EST (Recommendation 3), or similar unit, should assist the CSE with the retirement process with all the necessary information that is inclusive of the following:
    1. All the steps required for retirement should be provided in both verbal and written format (in a preferred language).
    2. Criteria of supports be developed that ensure the retiree is aware of when the EST, or equivalent, can be communicated with for support, advice and/or relevant service provision to assist for a particular issue.
    3. Provision of some ongoing supports/communication with individuals after their retirement.
    4. Exit interviews should be completed whenever an employee retires or leaves correctional services by an independent reviewer agreed upon by the employer and union unless such exit interviews are already occurring.
    5. Availability of pre-retirement seminars with third party organizations with employees with PSP experience.

E. Deaths by suicide of correctional service employees

To OCC/OFPS:

  1. Ensure documentation of death investigations that is inclusive of specific data such as firearm-related data (including whether it was personal vs. work-provided firearm); summaries of any deaths utilizing deidentified data on an annual basis to the respective correctional service and their respective unions as well as:
    1. To work with provincial and federal correctional services, community and program divisions to ensure that relevant death investigative information is shared proactively in a reliable, bi-directional manner.
    2. Confirmation of deaths by suicide involving a person who is classified as a PSP professional as well as their specific occupation, such as a CSE.
    3. Consider establishing a mandatory annual review of all PSP-related deaths by suicide that is inclusive of the various different professions including CSE and other relevant findings as requested by the specific PSP groups.

To SOLGEN, CSC, MCCSS, OPSEU/SEFPO, Federal Union:

  1. Provision of resources for the family should be provided by experienced providers with knowledge of CS (postvention). This should be inclusive of grief resources and counselling for families, social supports for families provided when a death of an employee has occurred such as insurance, government-related death benefits, and funeral planning.
    1. Service provision should be done in person whenever possible as well as provision of an online resource portal if required.

To CS at SOLGEN, MCCSS and CSC:

  1. Consider working with appropriate internal/external researchers to analyze data from all available databases, inclusive of deidentified data from Recommendation 2 and 3 above, to identify trends related to staff wellbeing, disability, deaths by suicide, and other data to better understand workplace and individual wellness.
  2. Development of a database with deidentified data that includes, but not limited to, information regarding employee staff numbers, numbers on leave and the reasons, number on disability and the reasons, and any other relevant statistics. This database should also include data that is institutional-specific and is inclusive of but not limited to occupancy rates, data on institutional events (deaths, overdoses, use-of-force events, assaults, other) and these results should be available to all staff if possible. Employee: Incarcerated persons (for correctional officers) and Employee: Caseload (for probation/parole officers) ratios should also be considered for inclusion.

SOLGEN and CSC in conjunction with OPSEU/SEFPO and UCCO-SACC-CSN:

  1. Postvention service provision by both provincial and federally-run institutions in coordination with their respective union counterparts such that a best practices approach is developed in conjunction with experts in this field for:
    1. Provision of an incident management response that is inclusive of evidence-based best practices, managed by a social worker/mental health professional and any referrals should be mandatory for those impacted/affected by a CSE death by suicide (as well as the other criteria for a defined incident). This process should also consider ensuring the CSE is working with an individual with whom they have a trusting relationship or an outside resource if possible.
  2. Provision of postvention services as well as other services established as a result of the recommendations in this review, or subsequent processes that are developed, should undergo an annual review process to ensure the outcomes expected are achieved and enhanced as required by any feedback and/or analysis.
  3. Consideration should be given to ensuring all staff leaving their position as a CSE be encouraged to complete an exit survey (anonymously) within 1 month of their departure if not already being done. The survey should be developed in consultation with all relevant stakeholders and researchers to compliment the employee surveys that are completed. This should be completed by an independent, external reviewer.