April 2026

Legislative authority

Sections 4, 6, 7(4), 14(1), 16(2) and 44 of the Act.
Sections 3, 14, 17(2), 18, 25, 26, 26.1, 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31 of Regulation 134/98.
Sections 6 and 14(2) of Regulation 222/98.

Audit requirements

For Integrated Employment Services (IES) sites, the action plan is completed in the Social Assistance Management System (SAMS) for participants with active or deferred participation requirements.

For all other sites, the outcome plan is completed and the signed participation agreement is on file for participants with active or deferred participation requirements.

Documentation to support restrictions on participation and temporary deferrals is on file and noted on the participation agreement or in the action plan in SAMS.

Documentation is required to demonstrate that participation agreements or action plans are completed 30 days from the initial signing/creation and reviewed every three months thereafter (or earlier as appropriate) unless a reason for less frequent review is documented.

Application of policy

Adults receiving financial assistance under Ontario Works, ODSP dependent adults and ODSP non-disabled spouses are required to participate in approved employment assistance activities as a condition of eligibility for assistance. Employment assistance activities include accessing supports and services that help prepare participants to become and stay employed.

The following do not have participation requirements:

  • individuals applying for, or in receipt of, temporary care assistance (TCA) on behalf of a child, and who are not in receipt of assistance themselves
  • individuals receiving interim assistance while appealing an eligibility decision
  • individuals receiving Extended Health Benefits (EHB) or Extended Employment Health Benefits (EEHB).

Recipients under the age of 18 are required to participate in approved activities as a condition of eligibility for assistance. For example, as a condition of eligibility, the Administrator may require:

  • regular contact with a responsible adult or community agency
  • participation in counselling
  • participation in education or employment focused programming such as the Learning Earning and Parenting Program (LEAP) (see Directive 8.2: LEAP for more information)

Agreement to participate

All Ontario Works applicants, their spouses and any dependent adults included in the benefit unit must complete and sign/e-sign an agreement to participate prior to a determination of eligibility.

At application, as part of the social assistance digital application (SADA), all Ontario Works applicants, their spouses and any adult family members included in the benefit unit will complete a digital agreement to participate that acknowledges their requirement to participate in activities as a condition of eligibility. This replaces the need for an initial participation agreement form at application.

Where SADA is not available or able to be accessed, a participation agreement is completed.

If an initial participation agreement was completed, it is reviewed, updated and signed by the participant within 30 days of making the application for assistance. This process takes place in person.

A participation agreement or an action plan is a goal-oriented plan that identifies the approved employment assistance activities the participant will undertake to prepare for, find and maintain employment. For IES sites, the action plan is located within Social Assistance Management System (SAMS). Administrators in sites which do not have the action plan should continue using existing case management tools (participation agreements and outcome plans) to support planning activities with clients.

A participation agreement or action plan is mandatory for all participants with participation requirements. It is developed with the caseworker through collaborative and interactive processes that must consider the individual’s skills, experience, circumstances and needs.

The participation agreement or action plan is then reviewed and updated with the participant typically every three months, to ensure participants are making progress in their plan and to move towards employment readiness.

Caseworkers should decide on appropriate review dates for employment assistance activities depending on the individual’s circumstances, the type of activity and the length/timeframe of the activity:

  • for IES sites: one, three, six, nine or 12 months
  • for non-IES sites: one, three, four or six months

In some cases, participants may not be able to fully participate in employment assistance activities. The plan may identify circumstances that make them unable to participate in any activities, which may result in a temporary deferral of participation requirements. Appropriate documentation must be provided to support restrictions or deferrals. (See the Restrictions on participation requirements or the Temporary deferral of participation requirements sections below for more information)

Assessment for IES sites

Ontario Works caseworkers will complete the common assessment (CA)-module 1 with:

  • Ontario Works participants (including participants under 18 in receipt in their own right)
  • Ontario Works adult family members
  • Non-disabled adults on ODSP who have been referred to Ontario Works

The CA-module 1 is mandatory for all participants with participation requirements, unless they meet the criteria for deferral, and should be done within 30 days of grant, referral from ODSP, or checkpoint due date. The only exception to this is for participants who, due to crisis, require additional time and/or support to complete it.

Action plan for IES sites

The CA-module 1 and caseworker interactions with participants will help to inform what is included in an action plan.

Ontario Works caseworkers will complete action plans with:

  • Ontario Works participants (including participants under 18 in receipt in their own right)
  • Ontario Works adult family members
  • Non-disabled adults on ODSP who have been referred to Ontario Works

All Ontario Works participants, their adult family members and non-disabled adults on ODSP will contribute to the development and maintenance of an action plan. The action plan is required to be completed within 30 days of determining eligibility or referral from ODSP, however, all efforts should be made to engage participants sooner.

Referral to employment services

For IES sites, a participant is referred to employment services when they are able to actively and meaningfully participate in employment services to prepare for and find a job.

Some areas of a participant’s circumstance may present a significant barrier to participating in employment services and should be considered prior to referral. For example, individuals experiencing a crisis in areas such as personal safety, homelessness, mental health and/or addictions may not be able to meaningfully participate in employment services while in crisis.

Once a participant is referred to employment services, Ontario Works caseworkers will continue to monitor participation and eligibility as well as provide referrals to community supports as required.

Restrictions on participation requirements

Participants may experience circumstances that limit their capacity to fully participate in employment assistance activities.

Restrictions on participation may be the result of a participant’s personal circumstances (e.g., medical conditions, caregiving responsibilities) or any other circumstance the Administrator considers reasonable.

If a participant identifies a restriction in their ability to participate in employment assistance activities, caseworkers should work with the participant to tailor their action plan or participation agreement accordingly to assist them in establishing appropriate goals and identifying activities to overcome barriers and address the restriction, rather than deferring them from participation.

Additionally, caseworkers should help clients navigate other systems of support to find the right services for things like childcare or caregiving supports, limited access to transportation, pregnancy or parental leave, supports for victims of partner violence or human trafficking.

If a restriction on participation is in place, the participant must be advised of their responsibility to notify their caseworker of any changes in circumstances which may cancel participation restrictions.

Restrictions must be supported by appropriate documentation which, depending on the reason for the restriction, may include:

  • a letter from a religious leader stating religious restrictions
  • a completed Limitations to Participation form
  • a letter from a qualified health professional
  • written proof of a participant’s learning disorder from a qualified medical doctor or a psychologist registered with the College of Psychologists of Ontario or documentation to support they are in the process of being diagnosed
  • a membership card for a professional association or trade union, along with documentation of the restrictions resulting from the membership (e.g., collective agreement)
  • written confirmation of caregiving assistance from a qualified medical doctor or others providing support services to a household

Temporary deferral of participation requirements

Participation requirements are temporarily deferred in the following circumstances where the participant is:

  • a sole-support parent with at least one dependent child, or with at least one child for whom TCA is being received, and publicly funded education is not available
  • a caregiver for a family member who requires daily physical assistance on an ongoing basis because of a disability, illness or old age
  • 65 years of age or older
  • experiencing exceptional circumstances approved by the Director (see list below)

The Director has approved the following exceptional circumstances where the participant:

  • has an injury, illness or disability that makes any degree of participation impracticable
  • is applying for or receiving financial assistance as a top-up to Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) benefits
  • is a foster parent who has a formal foster child placement
  • is on a pregnancy and/or parental leave
  • has self declared as a victim of family violence
  • is exercising their entitlement to family medical leave for up to eight weeks in a twenty‐six‐week period
  • is under house arrest
  • has any other exceptional circumstance where the Administrator is satisfied that any degree of participation is impracticable

Deferrals must be supported by appropriate documentation which, depending on the reason for the deferral, may include:

  • a letter from a qualified health professional (could include):
    • a Psychologist registered with the College of Psychologists
    • a social worker, social service worker, and/or counsellors for assessing addiction
    • a Physician registered with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario
    • a Registered Nurse or Nurse Practitioner registered with the College of Nurses of Ontario
    • a Registered Dietician registered with the College of Dieticians of Ontario
    • a Registered Midwife registered with the College of Midwives of Ontario
    • a Traditional Indigenous Midwife recognized and accredited by the Indigenous community
  • a copy of the foster child care agreement
  • a letter from an employer confirming pregnancy/parental leave
  • a completed Limitations to Participation form
  • written confirmation of care-giving assistance from a qualified medical doctor or others providing support services to a household

If a deferral is in place, the participant must be advised of their responsibility to notify their caseworker of any changes in circumstances which may cancel the deferral. The caseworker should also have a discussion with the participant about available supports and services and the possibility of voluntary participation.

Participation in employment services is not required until the client is ready and able to do so. Readiness for employment services does not mean that a client is “job-ready”, but rather that the individual can actively and meaningfully participate in employment services to prepare for and find a job.

The participant’s plan must identify the deferral period with a review date established in the plan. Deferrals should be reviewed frequently (1-3 months depending on the reason for deferral) to encourage participation and access to available supports and services. However, the length will vary depending on the reason for the deferral. For example, participants:

  • who are under house arrest are deferred for the duration of the house arrest order
  • who are victims of family violence are deferred for a minimum of three months or, up to 12 months where a restraining order is in place
  • on pregnancy/parental leave are deferred for the duration of the leave (up to the maximum leave allowed under the Employment Standards Act)

Voluntary participation

Participants that have their participation requirements deferred should be given the option and encouraged to voluntarily participate in employment assistance activities.

Participants who are voluntarily participating are not subject to consequences for non-compliance.

Non-compliance

Where participation requirements are not deferred or restricted, participants who refuse to participate or fail to make reasonable efforts to participate where support has been provided by staff, will have their financial assistance cancelled for single recipients or reduced if there are other members in the benefit unit:

  • for one month on the first occurrence of non-compliance
  • for three months on subsequent occurrences

By completing the participation agreement or action plan, participants agree to the plan that has been negotiated with the caseworker and acknowledge their understanding of the consequences for refusing to participate or failing to make reasonable efforts to participate in approved activities. Reasonable efforts to participate in approved employment assistance activities is met when a client is engaging with their caseworker to develop and maintain their plan.

A participant who has a deferral or restriction on participation requirements also acknowledges that they will advise their caseworker of any change in circumstances that would impact the deferral or restriction.

Administrators in First Nations and northern communities have the discretion to exercise flexibility when approving employment assistance activities and/or expenses based on cultural and geographic considerations to support employment outcomes for participants.

Self-employment

In non-IES sites, there are two ways in which a participant can be involved in approved self-employment:

  • approved full-time self-employment: self-employment is the only approved employment assistance activity (see the Ontario Works Self-Employment Guidelines for more information, if appropriate)
  • approved blended self-employment: self-employment is combined with other employment assistance activities to fulfil participation requirements (see the Ontario Works self-employment guidelines for more information, if appropriate)

A participant may also be involved in self-employment that is not approved as an employment assistance activity so long as it does not interfere with their approved employment assistance activities.

If it is determined that a person is interested in participating in self-employment to meet their participation requirements and exit from assistance, the participant is directed through the four-step Ontario Works self-employment process to assess their suitability for the Self-Employment program. Based on the outcome of the assessment, the participant may pursue self-employment, regular employment, a combination of both (Please see the Ontario Works self-employment guidelines for further information, if appropriate), or other employment assistance activities, depending on what best serves to advance the agreed-upon goals leading to financial independence.

For information regarding the treatment of income from self-employment, please see Directive 5.13: Self-employment income.