Part 9: Partnership Requirements and Roles and Responsibilities
CTCs will be accountable for the delivery of SmartStart Hubs functions, and will build on and leverage local strengths, existing structures and/or partnerships in communities, including access mechanisms or other entry-points (e.g. PSL providers, ICDP providers), to deliver the Hubs functions.
CTCs may leverage and build on existing partnerships to deliver Hubs functions; for example, incorporating existing community access mechanisms into the entry function of the Hubs, and/or partnering with other children’s service providers to administer the About My Child tool in alignment with the Hubs guidelines.
For example, if an established access mechanism exists in a community, the CTC may choose to partner with the access mechanism to ensure that the ‘clear entry’ functions outlined in these guidelines are delivered by the access mechanism, to avoid disruption to locally-established processes, and confusion for families. The other functions of the Hub (information gathering, connection to services) may still be delivered by the CTC).
If the CTC agrees to have a partner agency delivering any of the functions of the SmartStart Hub, they must have formal partnership agreements in place to ensure accountability for the delivery of the functions. The CTC will be accountable to ensure that:
- There is a clear ‘main door’ for families, and processes are consistent with the SmartStart Hubs policy and practice guidelines
- There is a clear, seamless pathway to the CTC for further clinical assessment and service where necessary
- Information is shared, with consent, so families don’t have to repeat their stories
Organizations that could provide a first point of contact for a family in the children’s services system (e.g. PSL providers, ICDP providers) will be expected to work with CTCs to establish a consistent process/protocol to help determine when a child/youth and family would benefit from the holistic exploration of developmental concerns that SmartStart Hubs will offer, and a protocol for a supported connection to the Hub.
This section lists categories of service providers across a variety of sectors, with specific requirements for communicating, working and/or partnering with organizations.
The purpose of partnerships and the expectations for the roles and responsibilities of service providers/partners will depend on what program or service the partner organization delivers, and whether the partner service provider is funded by MCCSS.
Partnerships may be:
- Formal, requiring formal agreement such as memoranda of understanding (MOUs) and information-sharing agreements that formalize roles and responsibilities of each organization, and
- Informal, where ongoing engagement between partners will support sharing information about service offerings and best practices and ensure that appropriate connections can be made for families.
Partnerships should exist at all levels of the organization, both at the leadership and staff level, to ensure that expectations are clear at the ‘front-lines’ and to streamline service pathways for families.
Formal partners will fall into two categories:
- service providers/organizations that may be a first point of contact for families accessing children’s services, and will provide supported connections to the Hubs, and
- those who the Hubs will be required to connect families with, based on an understanding of their needs.
Informal partnerships will involve either engagement with service providers to ensure they send families to the Hub when appropriate, or to develop an understanding of locally-available services in the community that Hubs may want to provide families with information about.
Per the Connections to Services function of the Hubs (see page 34), a supported connection requires that the organization making the connection contacts the service provider, rather than the family, and shares relevant information with the service provider to support the streamlined connection.
Formal: Supported connections to the SmartStart Hub
This category includes partners who may act as the first point of contact with the children’s service sector for many families and have already collected information from the child/family.
These partners will seamlessly connect families to the SmartStart Hubs when appropriate, in a timely manner, and will provide relevant information (with consent) that prevents families from having to retell their story.
Required Partners:
- Public Health Units delivering the Healthy Babies Healthy Children Program
- Infant and Child Development Program Providers
- Infant Hearing Program Providers
- Blind Low Vision Providers
- Preschool Speech and Language Providers
- Coordinating Agencies
- Local Access Mechanisms (where applicable)
Roles and Responsibilities of CTCs
- Lead the drafting of partnership agreements with providers, that include:
- Clear roles and responsibilities
- How service pathways between the organizations will be streamlined
- Information-sharing agreements
Roles and Responsibilities of the Partner
- Participate in the drafting of partnership agreements (memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with the relevant Hub(s)
- Work with the Hub to develop processes to:
- Identify children/youth who may have additional service needs (beyond the partners’ scope) to connect with the Hub
- Support a seamless connection to the Hub, including information sharing and collection of consent from families (to avoid families retelling their story)
Formal: Supported Connections from the SmartStart Hub
Hubs will make a supported connections to these service providers, as appropriate, based on the needs of the child and family.
CTCs will seamlessly connect families to these service providers, and will provide relevant information (with consent) to prevent families having to retell their story.
Required Partners:
- Preschool Speech and Language providers
- OAP Independent Intake Organization – once implemented (responsible for connecting families to all OAP services)
- Coordinating Agencies
- FASD Diagnostic Clinics
- ASD Diagnostic Hubs
- Mental Health Lead Agencies
Roles and Responsibilities of CTCs/Surrey Place
- Lead the development of information-sharing agreements to support seamless connections to partners (and avoid repeated information collection)
- (Optional) lead the drafting of partnership agreements (memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with providers, that include:
- Clear roles and responsibilities
- How service pathways between the organizations will be streamlined
Roles and Responsibilities of the Partner
- Participate in the drafting of information sharing agreements, and – if appropriate – partnerships agreements with the relevant Hub(s)
Informal: Send Families to the SmartStart Hub
Partners who are well-positioned to notice a potential issue with a child’s development (e.g. a teacher or Early Childhood Educator), or whom a family may approach with concerns about their child’s development (e.g. a family doctor).
These partners will have awareness and knowledge of SmartStart Hubs to provide a family with information about the SmartStart Hub, and ways of contacting the Hub.
Required Partners:
- Home and Community Care Support Services (HCCSS)
- Public Health Units
- Mental Health Lead Agencies
- Hospitals
- Child Care Settings and EarlyON Centres
- Schools and School Boards
- Children’s Aid Societies
- Indigenous Service Providers and Friendship Centres
footnote 18
Roles and Responsibilities of CTCs/Surrey Place
Engage with partners to ensure that they are aware of Hubs functions and when to refer a family with concerns about their child/youth’s development or functioning to the Hubs for further exploration.
Informal: Share Information About Services
These are services that are outside of the scope of Hubs functions, but may help to support a family with a specific need (e.g. newcomers to Canada)
CTCs will provide a family with general information about the service, and a way of contacting the service (for example, a website or phone number)
CTCs will not provide a supported connection to these services, nor assist families to access the services.
Not all of these support services may be applicable in all communities, and there may be other services in specific communities that should be added to the list below
Required Partners:
- Housing and Settlement Supports
- Municipalities
- OAP Entry to School providers
- OAP Foundational Family Services
- OAP Caregiver-Mediated Early Years Program Providers
- Indigenous Service Providers and Friendship Centres
- EarlyON Centres
- Partners for Planning (P4P)
Roles and Responsibilities of CTCs/Surrey Place
Hubs to ensure they have up-to-date information about relevant services available in the local community, to provide information to the child/youth and family about services that may be available.
Partnerships with Indigenous Service Providers
Building relationships with Indigenous partners will be critical to providing culturally relevant services to Indigenous children and youth.
Hubs will be required to provide a culturally-safe, trauma-informed service experience for urban Indigenous children and youth, as well as connections to Indigenous-specific services in the community for Indigenous children and youth.
CTCs will be expected to work with local urban Indigenous service providers and First Nations, Inuit and Métis Partners to review the structures and expectations for service delivery for Indigenous children and families within their service areas and discuss partnerships and protocols for delivering Hubs functions to Indigenous, Métis and Inuit children and families.
For example, if an urban Indigenous service provider has a role in supporting Indigenous families to access culturally relevant services, a formalized agreement or protocol with the Indigenous service provider will need to be established.
Partnerships must respect, and be responsive to, Indigenous jurisdiction and be grounded in the Ontario Indigenous Child and Youth Strategy (see Appendix D) and the Urban Indigenous Action Plan.
Roles and Responsibilities of CTCs/Surrey Place
- Engage with local First Nations, Inuit, Métis (FNIM) and urban Indigenous partners
- Establish protocols and partnership agreements that meet the expectations of FNIM and urban Indigenous partners, that include:
- Clear roles and responsibilities
- Information-sharing agreements
Roles and Responsibilities of Indigenous Service Providers
- Work with the Hub to, if appropriate, develop processes to:
- Identify First Nations, Inuit, Métis and urban Indigenous children and youth to connect with relevant Indigenous-specific services in the community
- Develop information-sharing agreements, where appropriate
- Participate in the setting of expectations for local protocols and partnership agreements with the relevant Hub(s)
- Provide a list of service offerings to Hubs, to facilitate Hubs making the appropriate connection to Indigenous-specific services
Partnerships with Political Territorial Organizations (PTOs)
Footnotes
- footnote[18] Back to paragraph See page 40 for more information about partnerships with Indigenous service providers.