Component: Children’s Rehabilitation Services

Legislation: Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017

Service description

School-Based Rehabilitation Services (SBRS) consists of the delivery of Speech- Language Pathology, Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy for children and youth in publicly-funded schools to support children’s functioning and development so they can participate more fully at school, at home and in their communities.

People served

Children and youth attending publicly funded elementary or secondary school in Ontario may access SBRS from school entry through to their exit from secondary school.

Program/service features

School-Based Rehabilitation Services are delivered by multi-service agencies using a holistic approach to meeting the diverse needs of children and youth through the provision of Speech-Language Pathology services, Physiotherapy services and/or Occupational Therapy services in accordance with the Regulated Health Professionals Act, 1991 to school-aged children and youth in publicly-funded schools. Services include assessment and goal setting, delivery of intervention services at various stages and settings, as well as transition planning.

Specific service provided

School-Based Rehabilitation Services may occur any time from school entry to exit and must be delivered with the inclusion of

  • Access and intake
  • Early intervention
  • Assessment
  • Intervention (inclusive of a continuum of Speech-Language Pathology, Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy intervention services)
  • Supportive transitions
  • Child and family-centred service delivery
  • Seamless service delivery
  • Collaboration and partnerships
  • Performance measurement

Services are child and family-centered and support the diverse needs of families in a way that is culturally safe, promotes equity, anti-racism, and anti-oppression.

Program goals

The goal of children’s rehabilitation services is to support children and youth with rehabilitation services that are flexible, individualized and coordinated so that they can participate meaningfully in school and community and at home, achieve their life course goals, and are set up for success in adulthood.

Ministry expectations

SBRS are managed in accordance with the descriptions provided here and/or additional guidance documents, subsequent updated versions and any additional supporting documents provided by the Ministry.

Reporting requirements

The following service data will be reported on at an Interim and Final period. Please refer to your final agreement for report back due dates.

Service data name Definition

Ministry-funded agency expenditures: SBRS

Total ministry-funded expenses for the Transfer Payment Recipient to administer and/or deliver school-based rehabilitation services in the Funding Year (cumulative).

# of visits (total - Occupational Therapy): SBRS

The total number of SBRS -funded occupational therapy visits with a registered client, whether individually or as part of a group, inclusive of interactions that may be in-person, video, telephone or through electronic communication. A visit is an interaction (greater than 5 minutes) with a client and/or parent/ guardian/ teacher/ educational assistant/ caregiver for the purpose of providing assessment, intervention or consultation.
Notes: Interactions for the sole purpose of scheduling is not considered a visit. All visits should be counted regardless of whether it falls on the same calendar day.

# of visits (total - Physiotherapy): SBRS

The total number of SBRS -funded physiotherapy visits with a registered client, whether individually or as part of a group, inclusive of interactions that may be in-person, video, telephone or through electronic communication. A visit is an interaction (greater than 5 minutes) with a client and/or parent/ guardian/ teacher/ educational assistant/ caregiver for the purpose of providing assessment, intervention or consultation.
Notes: Interactions for the sole purpose of scheduling is not considered a visit. All visits should be counted regardless of whether it falls on the same calendar day.

# of visits (total - Speech-Language Pathology): SBRS

The total number of SBRS -funded speech-language pathology visits with a registered client, whether individually or as part of a group, inclusive of interactions that may be in-person, video, telephone or through electronic communication. A visit is an interaction (greater than 5 minutes) with a client and/or parent/ guardian/ teacher/ educational assistant/ caregiver for the purpose of providing assessment, intervention or consultation.
Notes: Interactions for the sole purpose of scheduling is not considered a visit. All visits should be counted regardless of whether it falls on the same calendar day.

# of individuals served (unique): SBRS

The unique number of children and youth that received school- based rehabilitation services in publicly funded schools during the reporting period. Services may include occupational therapy, physiotherapy and/ or speech-language pathology.

# of individuals served (Occupational Therapy): SBRS

The unique number of individuals receiving school-based occupational therapy in publicly funded schools during the reporting period. If an individual was served in more than one functional centre, then they would be counted in each centre.

# of individuals served (Physiotherapy): SBRS

The unique number of individuals receiving school-based physiotherapy in publicly funded schools during the reporting period. If an individual was served in more than one functional centre, then they would be counted in each centre.

# of individuals served (Speech-Language Pathology): SBRS

The unique number of individuals receiving school-based speech-language pathology in publicly funded schools during the reporting period. If an individual was served in more than one functional centre, then they would be counted in each centre.

# of individuals waiting for initial assessment: SBRS

The number of children and youth who are waiting for an initial therapy assessment for school-based rehabilitation services (have a referral date but have not received an initial therapy assessment).

# of individuals waiting for service initiation: SBRS

The number of children and youth who are waiting for school- based rehabilitation intervention services to begin (have received an initial therapy assessment, but service has not begun).

Average wait time from referral to initial assessment (# of days): SBRS

The average number of days waited for a school-based rehabilitation services assessment (from the referral date to the initial assessment date). The number of days waited for an assessment divided by the number of children and youth who received an initial therapy assessment will give the average wait time for an assessment (on a year-to-date average).

Average wait time from initial assessment to service initiation (# of days): SBRS

The average number of days waited from initial assessment for school-based rehabilitation services to service initiation (date of the actual first visit).

# of Schools Receiving Tier 1 Services: SBRS

Tier 1 supports are accessible and beneficial to all, and registration with the Children's Treatment Centre (CTC) is not required for access.  Tier 1/Universal services may involve: Working collaboratively with partners as part of the service system to build reciprocal capacity in education and community settings towards supporting child development, identifying needs, implementing strategies, and connecting families with information and services. SBRS Tier 1 services may include time related to activities associated with the planning or delivery of a universal service, planning or delivering workshops / education sessions with content to support all children, researching or developing tools to support all children, consulting with educators, co-teaching/ classroom programming, participation in team meetings for school-wide interventions etc.
Note: Report the number of schools receiving Tier 1 services in the cell and total number of schools in the CTC catchment area in the "variance explanation" section on Tab H at year-end only. Input "0" for interim reporting.

# of Hours Planning or Delivering Tier 1 Services: SBRS

Tier 1 supports are accessible and beneficial to all, and registration with the Children's Treatment Centre is not required for access.  Tier 1/Universal services may involve: Working collaboratively with partners as part of the service system to build reciprocal capacity in education and community settings towards supporting child development, identifying needs, implementing strategies, and connecting families with information and services. SBRS Tier 1 services may include time related to activities associated with the planning or delivery of a universal service, planning or delivering workshops / education sessions with content to support all children, researching or developing tools to support all children, consulting with educators, co-teaching/ classroom programming, participation in team meetings for school-wide interventions etc.
Note: Report the total number of hours related to activities associated with the planning or delivery of a universal service at year-end only.  Input "0" for interim reporting.

A supplementary report providing additional information to help the ministry monitor the performance of Community-Based Rehabilitation Services, School-Based Rehabilitation Services and SmartStart Hubs may be required.