Report abuse and neglect of an adult with a developmental disability
Use the ReportON telephone line, email address or TTY service to report actual abuse, suspected abuse and/or neglect of adults with a developmental disability directly to us.
Contact ReportON
If you are, or if you see or suspect an adult with a developmental disability being abused or neglected, you can contact ReportON 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Email: reportONdisability@ontario.ca
Even if you're not absolutely certain you're witnessing abuse or neglect we encourage you to call. There will be no consequences for you and you might make a real difference in someone's life. Abuse or neglect might be at the hands of the person's family, friends, caregiver or a stranger.
ReportON will look into all non-emergency reports relating to adults receiving ministry-funded developmental services and will make referrals to appropriate supports for matters that are outside our jurisdiction. This may include referrals to the Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee or police services.
Learn more about developmental services in Ontario.
Who can contact ReportON
Anyone can use ReportON if you have concerns about alleged, suspected and/or witnessed incidents of abuse and/or neglect of an adult with a developmental disability. This means you can use ReportON if you are a victim, member of the public or staff member of a service sector.
However, it is primarily intended for people who do not already have an avenue to report these concerns or do not know where to report them.
Ministry-funded agency staff
Ministry-funded agency staff should first follow your agency’s policies and procedures regarding the identification and reporting of concerns of abuse or neglect, and the policies and procedures regarding serious occurrence reporting (as appropriate).
Under our Quality Assurance Measures regulation, you must immediately and directly report to the police any incidents of abuse or neglect that could constitute a criminal offence.
You can contact ReportON if you think the incident has not been responded to appropriately after:
- you reported your concerns to your agency’s management
- any police investigation is complete
Confidentiality
You are not required to provide your name or contact details when contacting ReportON. You can choose to remain anonymous.
However, providing your name and contact information enables ReportON to follow up with you to obtain additional information about the allegation if it’s necessary. This could include things like where the incident happened, who observed the incident and when did it occur.
We will keep personal information confidential, unless it is required by law to release that information, for example, if the police require it.
After you report an incident
A reported incident is screened to determine if it:
- is an emergency and we should contact
911 - falls within our jurisdiction for direct follow-up
- should be referred to another appropriate authority for review (for example, the Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee or the police)
After the screening stage, if the matter falls within our jurisdiction, ReportON staff will contact the appropriate regional office, which will:
- advise the involved service agency of the allegation and ask them to follow up in accordance with their policies and procedures
- support the service agency with its course of action, in accordance with all relevant requirements, to assist the person involved
- determine if further action from the ministry is required in an effort to ensure the health, safety and well-being of the individual
The ReportON service and its related activities (for example, collection of information and follow up) fall under the authority of the Services and Supports to Promote the Social Inclusion of Persons with Developmental Disabilities Act, 2008 and the Ministry of Community and Social Services Act and must also meet the applicable requirements of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
Additional resources
There are other supports available for people without developmental disabilities who are victims of abuse or neglect:
- Children: Call your local Children's Aid Society. Visit the Ontario Association of Children's Aid Societies for the office in your community.
- Seniors: Visit Elder Abuse Ontario or call
Toll-free: 1-866-299-1011 .