Services delivered: Pathways

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Component: provincial initiatives

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

Service objectives

To provide post-adoption training to children’s aid society (society) adoptive parents to develop the knowledge and skills they need to respond to the challenges related to the development, psychological, emotional or behavioral issues presented by their adopted children as a result of early trauma, loss, deprivation, maltreatment, or multiple placements as part of their history.

Service description

Pathways to Parenting 2: Parenting Children who have Experienced Trauma and Loss Curriculum (Pathways) is a formal post-adoption family support training program for adoptive families who are parenting children from care who have experienced trauma and loss. The program builds on the pre-adoption training received during the adoption process. Pathways is aimed at providing adoptive parents with the knowledge, skills and tools needed to recognize, identify, and address challenges and behaviours of their children that often emerge after the finalization of the legal process.

The Pathways program is a comprehensive curriculum that consists of eight modules delivered in a classroom setting or online. To complete the curriculum, participants need to take all eight modules over the course of eight days for a total of 24 hours (i.e., 3 hours per module over 8 days). Parents who adopt children and youth in extended society care (i.e., formerly Crown wards) through societies are eligible to register for Pathways training. Parents are eligible for training from the point of adoption placement of the child in the home (i.e., also referred to as the start of the adoption probationary period). This includes kin and foster parents from the point at which they transition from kinship or foster placement to adoption placement of the child in the home.

Program/service features

Post-adoption training are directed at families who adopt children and youth in extended society care through societies.

The program will:

provide post-adoption training to adoptive families
provide information to adoptive parents on how to establish parent support groups and
provide a learning environment for adoptive parents to acquire knowledge, share information and learn about resources to assist them in caring for their children

The program/services contracted by the ministry will reflect the following features.

Program goals

provide specialized knowledge to adoptive parents to help them develop their capacity and skills to meet the needs of their children
increase the number of adoptive parents trained to meet the needs of their children

Services will be

Reflective and responsive to child/youth, family and community strengths and needs
Accountable to the child/youth, family and community
Sensitive to the social, linguistic and cultural diversity of families and Indigenous communities
Staffed by individuals with the appropriate range of skills and abilities necessary to effectively develop and deliver training to meet the needs of children, youth and families

Ministry expectations

The transfer payment recipient must

manage and promote the Pathways program as a post-adoption training curriculum for parents who adopt through children’s aid societies (societies)
recruit and deliver post-adoption training to adoptive parents
deliver the modernized Pathways curriculum to adoptive parents in all five regions of the province through at least 30 Pathways offerings in-person or online and/or as agreed with the ministry
as part of the 8th Pathways training session, provide information to adoptive parents, including Francophones, on how to create adoptive parent groups, and inform adoptive parents about post-adoption supports available through Adopt4Life to help them respond to the challenges of their adoptive families
direct Pathways participants to Adopt4Life for support with parent support groups and other supports (e.g., one-to-one supports)

Services excluded

The transfer payment recipient will not: Use ministry funding approved for the Pathways program to: deliver additional training to develop leadership capacity of parent support group leaders; create parent support groups, including for kinship parents who have not adopted children in society care; and host or facilitate parent support group meetings.

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.

At each reporting period, a service data report on the project objectives, services, and targeted outcomes.

The following 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 the total number of registered adoptive parents, the number referred by type: Children’s mental health professional	Total number of newly registered adoptive parents by referral source: Children’s mental health professional.
Of the total number of registered adoptive parents, the number referred by type: ACO staff	Total number of newly registered adoptive parents by referral source: ACO Staff.
Of the total number of registered adoptive parents, the number referred by type: Children’s aid society	Total number of newly registered adoptive parents by referral source: Children’s aid society.
Of the total number of registered adoptive parents, the number referred by type: Colleague	Total number of newly registered adoptive parents by referral source: Colleague.
Of the total number of registered adoptive parents, the number referred by type: Court	Total number of newly registered adoptive parents by referral source: Court.
Of the total number of registered adoptive parents, the number referred by type: Family members	Total number of newly registered adoptive parents by referral source: Family members.
Of the total number of registered adoptive parents, the number referred by type: Medical/family doctor	Total number of newly registered adoptive parents by referral source: Medical/family doctor.
Of the total number of registered adoptive parents, the number referred by type: Other (please specify)	Total number of newly registered adoptive parents by referral source: Other (please specify).
Of the total number of registered adoptive parents, the number referred by type: Parent support group	Total number of newly registered adoptive parents by referral source: Parent support group.
Of the total number of registered adoptive parents, the number referred by type: Self- referral	Total number of newly registered adoptive parents by referral source: Self-referral.
# of adopt. parent particip. in train. of total numbers not complete, the numbers that completed 6 or 7 modules	Total number of adoptive parents participating in training by type: Of the total Number of participants that did not complete the full training, the numbers that: Completed 6 or 7 of the 8 modules.
# of adopt. parents participants in train.: Reason didn’t complete all sessions (number): Sickness/health	Total number of adoptive parents participating in training by type: Reasons participants didn’t complete all 8 sessions of the training program (provide number): Sickness/health issues.
# of adopt. parents particip. in train.: Reasons didn’t complete all sessions (number): Childcare issues	Total number of adoptive parents participating in training by type: Reasons participants didn’t complete all 8 sessions of the training program (provide number): Childcare issues.
# of adopt. parents particip. in train.: Reasons didn’t complete all sessions (number): Family crisis	Total number of adoptive parents participating in training by type: Reasons participants didn’t complete all 8 sessions of the training program (provide number): Family crisis (related to child).
# of adopt. parents particip. in train.: Reasons didn’t complete all sessions (number): Other Events	See Service Objectives for full definition -Total number of adoptive parents participating in training by type: Reasons participants didn’t complete all 8 sessions of the training program (provide number): Other events (e.g. death in family, vacation).
# of adopt. parents particip. in train.: Reasons didn’t complete all sessions (number): Work schedules	Total number of adoptive parents participating in training by type: Reasons participants didn’t complete all 8 sessions of the training program (provide number): Work schedules.
# of adopt. parents participating in training: Of the total number, the numbers by type: Two-parent	Total number of adoptive parents participating in training by type: Of the total Number of participants, the Number of participants by parent type: Two- parent.
# of adoptive parents participating in training: Of the total number, the numbers by region: East	Total number of adoptive parents participating in training by type: Of the total Number of participants, the Number of participants by region: East.
#of adoptive parents participating in training: Of the total number, the numbers by region: North	Total number of adoptive parents participating in training by type: Of the total Number of participants, the Number of participants by region: North.
# of adoptive parents participating in training: Of the total number, the numbers by region: Central	Total number of adoptive parents participating in training by type: Of the total Number of participants, the Number of participants by region: Central.
# of adoptive parents participating in training: Of the total number, the numbers by region: Toronto	Total number of adoptive parents participating in training by type: Of the total Number of participants, the Number of participants by region: Toronto.
# of adoptive parents participating in training: Of the total number, the numbers by region: West	Total number of adoptive parents participating in training by type: Of the total Number of participants, the Number of participants by region: West.
# of adoptive parents participating in training: Of the total, the numbers that Completed the training	Total number of adoptive parents participating in training by type: Of the total Number of participants, the numbers that Completed the training program (all 8 modules).
# of adoptive parents registered for training	Total number of adoptive parents registered for training.
# of child. in adopt. families particip. in training: category Special needs emotion/psychological	Totally number of children in adoptive families participating in training session by type: Special needs – emotional/psychological.
# of child. in adopt. families participating in training: category Racial/cultural minority	Total number of children in adoptive families participating in training session by type: Racial or cultural minority.
# of child. in adopt. families participating in training: category Special needs – behavioural	Total number of children in adoptive families participating in training session by type: Special needs – behavioural.
# of child. in adopt. families participating in training: category Special needs – social	Total number of children in adoptive families participating in training session by type: Special needs – social.
# of child. in adopt. families participating in training: category Special needs-cognitive	Total number of children in adoptive families participating in training session by type: Special needs – cognitive.
# of child. in adopt. families participating in training: category Special needs/develop. delays	Total number of children in adoptive families participating in training session by type: Special needs – developmental delays.
# of child. in adopt. families participating in training: category Special needs/medical diagnosis	Total number of children in adoptive families participating in training session by type: Special needs – medical diagnosis.
# of children in adoptive families participating in training sessions by age group: 0- 2 years	Total number of children in adoptive families participating in training session by age of child by age group: 0-2 years.
# of children in adoptive families participating in training sessions by age group: 10-14 years	Total number of children in adoptive families participating in training session by age of child by age group: 10-14 years.
# of children in adoptive families participating in training sessions by age group: 19-21 years	Total number of children in adoptive families participating in training session by age of child by age group: 19-21 years.
# of children in adoptive families participating in training sessions by age group: 21 and older	Total number of children in adoptive families participating in training session by age of child by age group: 21 and older.
# of children in adoptive families participating in training sessions by age group: 3- 5 years	Total number of children in adoptive families participating in training session by age of child by age group: 3-5 years.
# of children in adoptive families participating in training sessions by age group: 6- 9 years	Total number of children in adoptive families participating in training session by age of child by age group: 6-9 years.
# of children in adoptive families participating in training sessionsby age group: 15- 18 years	Total number of children in adoptive families participating in training session by age of child by age group: 15-18 years.
# of information/awareness sessions by location (i.e., by MCCSS region) or online: Central	Total number of information/awareness sessions by location or online: Central.
# of information/awareness sessions by location (i.e., by MCCSS region) or online: East	Total number of information/awareness sessions by location or online: East.
# of information/awareness sessions by location (i.e., by MCCSS region) or online: North	Total number of information/awareness sessions by location or online: North.
# of information/awareness sessions by location (i.e., by MCCSS region) or online: West	Total number of information/awareness sessions by location or online: West.
# of information/awareness sessions by location or online: Electronic (online)	Total number of information/awareness sessions by location or online: Electronic (online).
# of training enquiries on the ACO website	Total number of training enquiries on the ACO website.
# of training sessions delivered	Total number of training sessions delivered.
# of adopt. parent particip. in train. of total numbers not complete full train., numbers that complete<6 modules	Total number of adoptive parents participating in training by type: Of the total Number of participants that did not complete the full training, the numbers that: Completed less than 6 modules.
# of adopt. parents participating in training: Of the total Number of participants, by type: Single-parent	Total number of adoptive parents participating in training by type: Of the total Number of participants, the Number of participants by parent type: Single-parent.
Of the total Number of regist. adoptive parents, the number referred by type: Parent Associations (A4L, CANGRANDS)	Total number of newly registered adoptive parents by referral source: Parent Associations (A4L, CANGRANDS).
Pathways to Parenting 2: Ministry-funded agency expenditures	Total ministry-funded expenses for the transfer payment recipient to administer and/or deliver this service in the reporting year (cumulative).

Updated: October 04, 2024

Published: May 23, 2023