passport - legislative assembly of ontario · passport is the right choice for your family member....

A program that funds community participationsupports for adults with developmental disabilities

A guide for Families and Caregivers

Passport:

2

Purpose of this guide ............................................. 3

.................... Definitions for words used in this guide 4

Introduction: What is Passport? .............................. 6

What supports and services are considered“community participation supports” andeligible for Passport funding? .................................. 8

Who is eligible for Passport funding? ........................ 8

Does my family member lose other fundingif we receive support from Passport? ........................ 9

When can my family member apply for Passport? ...... 9

How does my family member apply forPassport funding? .................................................. 9

............................................ What happens next? 11

Table of Contents

My family member has been approved forPassport funding:

... 12How do we arrange to receive the funds directly? How do we arrange to have the funds paid to a ................................... 14ministry-funded agency? How do we arrange to get a combination of direct

14and agency funding? .........................................

Will my family member have to re-apply for Passport funding if he or she moves? .................................. 15

Will my family member need to have his or hersupport needs reviewed once he or she hasbeen accepted? ................................................... 15

......................... Where can I get more information? 15

3

This guide is for you as a parent or guardian of an adult with

a developmental disability.

This guide provides information on Passport, a program

funded by the Government of Ontario’s Ministry of

Community and Social Services within available resources.

This program provides funding for adults who have a

developmental disability. These funds provide support for

these individuals to engage in community participation

activities such as:

• Taking public transportation, going shopping, using the

library and participating in community outings

• Using community centre programs or joining a local club

• Strengthening basic skills such as numeracy (i.e., telling

time, working with money), literacy (i.e., recognizing and

reading signage) and computer skills

• Participating in further education

• Learning and strengthening basic life skills such as

cooking, meal preparation, clean up, and laundry

• Learning about fitness, exercise and a healthy diet

• Learning how to live more independently

• Learning how to communicate effectively and to

socialize with others

• Learning personal safety skills such as the use of 911

and street safety

• Helping with work activities or volunteering

The Passport program also funds mentoring and transition

planning for young individuals with a developmental disability

age 14 or older.

This guide can help families like yours decide whether

Passport is the right choice for your family member. In

addition to using this guide to help you make your decisions,

it is also a good idea to:

• Discuss the Passport program with your case manager

if you have one or staff at your local community

developmental service agency

• Ask other parents and adults with a developmental

disability to share their experiences with Passport

• Read this guide and go to the websites recommended

on page 15.

NOTE: The Adult Developmental Services system is currently

undergoing transformation. The new Developmental Services

Act: Services and Supports to Promote the Social Inclusion

of Persons with Developmental Disabilities Act makes

provision for an Application Entity in each region of Ontario.

This Application Entity will be responsible for determining

eligibility for all developmental services under the criteria

established in the new act. This guide will be revised once

the Application Entity is in place. If you wish to learn more

about Developmental Services Transformation please visit the

Ministry website listed on page 15.

Purpose of this guide

4

Developmental Disability: A disability that a person is

born with or that begins before he or she turns 18 which

permanently limits a person’s ability to learn. This disability

can be mild or severe. People with a developmental

disability may learn, understand or remember things at a

slower pace than others. This can affect their personal care,

language skills and their ability to live without support.

Family: A term that refers to legal guardians or persons

related by kinship as recognized in law but limited to:

spouses, parents, siblings, grandparents, children, aunts,

uncles, and cousins, and including step-parents and step-

siblings, where there has been a settled intention to treat the

individual as a member of the family.

Individual Education Plan (IEP): An IEP is a written

plan. It is a working document that describes the strengths

and needs of an individual exceptional student enrolled in

public education, the special education program and services

established to meet the student’s needs and how the

program and services will be delivered. It also describes the

student’s progress.

Mentoring: A person who can help students between the

ages of 14 and 21 plan and make decisions about what they

can do in the community after they leave school.

Advocate: A person entrusted to speak for the adult with a

developmental disability in your care. This could be a parent,

legal guardian, personal support worker or other family

member (see definitions of parent and family).

Broker: An agency or a person of your choice who look after

paying your service provider and manages your Passport

funding by keeping track of the money that is spent and

submitting receipts and invoices.

Community Advisory Committee: A regional committee

that supports Passport. This committee provides advice about

service needs in the community as well as advice and feedback

on the effectiveness of current practices and procedures

for the delivery of Passport. The members of a Community

Advisory Committee include persons with a developmental

disability, families, service providers, representatives from

the education and health sectors and others.

Community Participation Supports: Assistance for adults

with developmental disabilities, provided by a support

person or service organization, which enables these adults

to be active and included in their community. Community

Participation Supports does include Employment preparation

activities and respite services.

Definitions of words used in this guide

5

Ministry of Community and Social Services (MCSS):

The Ministry of Community and Social Services funds

agencies that help adults with a developmental disability

live, work and participate in a range of community activities.

The Ministry promotes accessibility and works to break

down barriers that prevent people with disabilities from fully

participating in the social and economic life of Ontario, and

helps Ontarians recover from hardship and regain control of

their lives.

Non-Profit Organization: An organization that provides

a public service without distribution of funds to owners or

shareholders.

Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP): A program

managed and delivered by the Government of Ontario’s

Ministry of Community and Social Services. It helps eligible

people with disabilities through:

• Income Support – provides a monthly amount of money

that helps to pay for living expenses such as food and

housing; and

• Employment Supports – help, for those who can and

want to work, in preparing for and finding a job.

Parent: A biological parent or any other adult, such as

a legal guardian, who is caring for an adult who has a

developmental disability.

Passport Delivery Agency: The agency in a community

that reviews and assesses Passport applications, confirms

whether an individual is eligible, determines the level of need

and funding allocations, and administers direct funding.

Special Services At Home (SSAH): A program funded

by the Government of Ontario’s Ministry of Community

and Social Services. The SSAH program provides eligible

individuals or their families with funding, within available

resources, directly to the individual or their family to

purchase services that provide personal development and

relief support.

Transfer Payment Agency: An agency in the community,

such as an Association for Community Living, contracted by

the Ontario government to provide a service.

Transition: In the Passport program, the time when a child

with a developmental disability is going through the life

changes associated with becoming a young adult.

Transition Planning: Planning for the future with an

individual with a developmental disability, usually while he or

she is still in the school system.

Definitions of words used in this guide

6

Passport is an Ontario Ministry of Community and Social

Services funded initiative for adults who have a developmental

disability. It funds community participation supports within

available resources for these adults who have left school,

or who have been waiting for service and need community

participation supports.

Passport helps adults with a developmental disability who

have left school find more ways to participate in their

communities. Passport:

• eases the transition from school to life as an adult in

the community,

• encourages independence,

• builds social, emotional and community participation

skills, and

• promotes continuing education and personal

development.

Passport funds three types of service:

• Mentoring

• Support for transition planning

• Funding for community participation supports

Mentoring

Through Passport funding students who have a

developmental disability and are aged 14 to 21 are provided

with the opportunity to meet with a mentor to talk about

what they can do in the community after high school. A

young adult’s level of involvement with a Passport mentor

is based on his or her unique abilities, strengths and

challenges.

Passport’s mentoring program has safeguards to protect

vulnerable young adults. If your family member chooses to

participate, he or she will meet with a mentor at his or her

high school.

The mentors are young people who are actively involved in

the community, or belong to a self-advocacy group. They

have a range of abilities. Some are people who have a

developmental disability.

Young people can ask to join the mentoring program. They

can also be referred through educators. Educators will first

consult with students, their families, and they will contact the

organizations that deliver this service in a community’s high

schools – the Ontario Community Inclusion Project It Takes

A Village Where All People Belong, in partnership with People

First of Ontario and other self-advocacy organizations.

To find out more about mentoring and whether it is offered in

your community contact your Passport Delivery Agency.

Introduction: What is Passport?

7

Transition planning

As part of Passport, a local agency designated by MCSS,

usually the local Passport delivery agency, works with

educators, students, and families and other interested

parties (such as a case manager) to help develop individual

transition plans required by the Ministry of Education. For

exceptional students who are age 14 or over and who are not

identified solely as gifted, the student’s Individual Education

Plan (IEP) must include a transition plan for the student’s

transition from school to work, further education, and/or

community living.

Passport funds transition planning for people who are no

longer in school, within available resources. A transition plan

is not a requirement for Passport funding, but developing

one is a valuable exercise for people with developmental

disabilities. Involving young adults in planning for their own

futures, as best they can, enables them to take a leadership

role in making the decisions that affect their lives.

Transition planning can help your family member

communicate short term goals at the time he or she is

becoming an adult. It also helps your family begin to

make long term decisions together about participation in

community programs, recreation and social activities, health

care, living arrangements and employment/future education

opportunities.

A planning guide called “Creating a Good Life in Community”

is available on the MCSS website or at your local Passport

delivery agency. See pages 15 and 16 for the website and a

list of delivery agency contact information.

Funding for community participation supports

Passport funding can be provided within available resources

for eligible adults with developmental disabilities to spend

on eligible community participation supports your family

member wants or needs. Your family can choose how to

receive the funding, as follows:

Option A: Your family member receives the funds directly.

Your family member receives the money within available

resources to buy the supports and services he or she needs,

and pays directly for them. He or she can buy these supports

and services directly from existing agencies that provide

community participation supports, or you can hire a worker

of your choosing.

For more information on this option, see page 12.

OR

Option B: The funds go to a ministry-funded Transfer

Payment Agency, which provides the supports and services

your family member needs.


OR

Option C: A combination of Options A and B. Your family

member can use part of the Passport funding to pay directly

for some of the supports and services he or she needs,

and arrange to get other services from Transfer Payment

Agencies.


8

Here are some examples of eligible community participation

supports that your family member can do with the assistance

of a support person or service:

• Enjoy social, fun and/or spiritual activities: Go to

a park, participate in a sports activity, get involved with

a house of worship, engage in a hobby or community

activity, socialize with other adults who have similar

needs and interests, participate in a group program

in your neighborhood

• Develop self help skills: Learn how to brush their teeth,

get dressed, use the bus, shop, achieve more

independence.

• Continue learning after high school: further their

learning by taking a course, volunteering, using public

libraries, participating in local community centre activities.

• Volunteer or prepare for a job: Practice work-related

tasks and/or skills necessary for success, work as a

volunteer

Some individuals with a developmental disability require one-

to-one support, while others can be supported in a group.

Your family member is eligible for Passport funding, within

available resources, if he or she:

Lives in Ontario (is a Canadian citizen, landed immigrant,

here on a Minister’s permit, is a refugee or has otherwise

received permission from the federal government to remain

here)

AND

Has already left school AND/OR is living in the community

and has been waiting for and needs community supports

AND

Has a developmental disability that has been documented

and confirmed by a qualified medical practitioner, and/or

psychologist

AND

Is not receiving support through the Ontario Disability

Support Program Employment Supports Program

What supports and services areconsidered “community participation supports” eligible for Passport funding? Who is eligible for Passport funding?

9

It is possible that you may lose some sources of funding.

Your family member is required to give up any other

community participation supports he or she has been

receiving from a Transfer Payment Agency before he or she

can be approved for Passport funding. For example, if your

family member is attending a day program on a part time

basis and you have been approved for Passport funding –

you must choose one or the other. Passport will replace

the day program – it will not be added to it. If your family

member is receiving Ontario Disability Support Program

Employment Supports, he or she is not eligible to receive

Passport funding. People who receive Special Services At

Home (SSAH) funding may continue to receive their SSAH

funding if they are approved for Passport. However, Passport

funding is not to be used to duplicate services and supports

purchased through the SSAH program. Decision-making to

determine the amount of funding approved through SSAH

will take into consideration other community supports,

including Passport.

If you think Passport could meet your family member’s

needs, it is a good idea to contact your local Passport

Delivery Agency at least six months before the end of the

school year, but you can also do this at any time if your

family member has already left school.

The three basic steps are:

Step 1: Prepare a transition plan

Step 2: Fill out a Passport application form

Step 3: Submit the Passport application form

Step 1: Prepare a transition plan

Preparing a transition plan is not a mandatory part of the

Passport application process. You can, however, attach your

family member’s transition plan to your Passport application

to explain the community participation supports he/she

requires as well as his or her strengths, opportunities for

growth and objectives.

Does my family member loseother funding if we receive supportfrom Passport?

When can my family member apply for Passport?

How does my family member apply for Passport funding?

10

It is helpful to begin discussing your family member’s

transition plan as soon as possible, ideally while they are still

in school. Encouraging him or her to begin thinking about the

future can help them make a smooth transition from school

to activities in the community, further education or work.

It will help your family member understand what he or she

wants to do in the future and how to accomplish this in the

short term as well as the long term.

While you are working on your family member’s transition

plan with them, the person with whom you are working at

school can call your Passport delivery agency to find out

about developmental services in your community.

Your family member can write this plan or communicate what

he or she wants to put into the plan to a parent or other

family member. The plan can be communicated in words,

pictures or both.

A Planning Guide can be found on the MCSS website or at

your local Passport delivery agency (See page 16).

Step 2: Fill out a Passport application form

The Passport application form is an Ontario government form

that is the same for everyone in the province. You and your

family member will need to fill it in when:

• It is your family member’s first time applying for

Passport funding

OR

• There has been a significant change in your family

member’s care needs, support network or services since

the day your family submitted its last Passport

application

OR

• It is three years from the day your family member last

submitted a Passport application.

Your family member will need to sign the form to confirm

that the information on it is correct.

You can get a Passport application form at the Ministry of

Community and Social Services’ website:

www.ontario.ca/community

Your Passport Delivery Agency (a list of contact information

for all Passport Delivery Agencies in Ontario is on page 16)

Your Passport Delivery Agency can answer your questions

about how to fill out the form. You can also ask family

members or someone from an agency who knows your

family well to help you fill it out.

Step 3: Submit the Passport application form

Send all applications to your Passport Delivery Agency

by mail or fax. (Contact information for Passport Delivery

Agencies is on page 16)

11

The application will be reviewed

The Passport Delivery Agency in your community will review

your family member’s application to see if he or she is

eligible. A worker could call your family and ask for more

information to help better understand your family member’s

needs. The worker could also ask to visit with your family

member.

If your family member’s needs change, you can contact your

Passport Delivery Agency to update your application.

Even if your family member is determined to be

eligible for Passport, there is no guarantee that

they will be approved for funding. You may be

placed on a waitlist.

It is important for you to understand that the adult

developmental services system is different from the public

education system. In the public education system an

individual can gain access and choose to remain in the

system until age 21. In the adult developmental services

system eligible individuals may not gain immediate access

and may have to placed on a waiting list for service. Your

Passport Delivery Agency must review your information along

with information from all the other Passport applications in

your community, and consider everyone’s needs for Passport.

What to do if your family member is approved

for funding

If you and your family member have been approved for

Passport funding you will be notified by your Passport

Delivery Agency, in writing:

• When he or she can begin accessing Passport supports

and

• How much funding he or she is eligible to receive.

Your Passport Delivery Agency will contact your family every

three years to see if your family member’s needs for support

have changed. This gives you an opportunity to revise your

plan based on your family member’s actual circumstances.

What to do if your family member is not approved

for funding

You will be notified by your Passport Delivery Agency, in

writing, that an application has not been approved for

Passport funding. This notification will also put, in writing:

• Your family member’s status (whether their name is

on the waiting list)

• The name of a contact person if you have any

questions/concerns

• Other information that may help you while you are

waiting

What happens next?

12

What to do if you and your family member disagree

with the decision made about your Passport

application

You can ask your delivery agency to review your family

member’s application if:

• Your family member did not get approved for Passport

funding

OR

• Your family member was approved for funding and

would like further clarification on how their application

was assessed to decide how much funding they would

get and/or how they were prioritized to get Passport.

The Review Process provides applicants with the opportunity

to confirm that the Passport Guidelines were followed in the

decision making process.

Before asking for a review you may want to ask your contact

person at your Passport Delivery Agency for an explanation

of how your family member’s application was assessed. If

you are not satisfied, ask to speak to a senior person at the

agency. If you are still not satisfied, you can ask to have

review of how your application was assessed.

How do we arrange to receive the funds directly?

There are three main steps that need to be taken once

funding has been approved, if your family member wants to

manage the funds directly. These are:

1) Sign an agreement

Once Passport funding has been approved and the decision

has been made to receive Passport funds directly, the

individual receiving Passport funding and their caregiver sign

an agreement with the Passport delivery agent that sets out:

• The amount of funding you will receive to buy services

and supports

• The start and end date of the time period that your

family will receive these funds

• A detailed financial budget that outlines how you will

spend your funding

• Your role and responsibilities with respect to managing

your funding.

You can choose to allocate up to 10 percent of your Passport

funding to further develop your plan or hire a broker which

can be an agency or a person of your choice to look after

paying your service provider and managing your Passport

funds by keeping track of the money and submitting receipts

and invoices. This person will also need to sign the funding

agreement.

My family member has been approved for Passport funding:

Some questions you may wish to ask when hiring a worker or

purchasing agency services:

Does this agency/worker provide the services I am

looking for?

Are these services within my budget?

Have I looked at other options if I am not entirely

satisfied with the worker/agency services I am

receiving/considering?

Am I satisfied with the safety standards of this agency?

Has the worker I wish to hire or the workers in the

agency undergone a police check?

3) Submit invoices and receive monthly reimbursement

To receive reimbursement for your expenses every month,

you must provide the Passport Delivery Agency with an

invoice to prove that you have purchased the services and

supports for your family member. Each invoice must include:

• The date

• The cost of the service you have purchased.

• A description of the service

• The dates of the services

• Signature of the individual who is receiving Passport or

their representative

• The signature of your worker or someone in authority

from the place where you are purchasing the services.

13

2) Purchase and pay for services and supports

Normally you must pay for eligible services and supports up

front, every month, and you will be reimbursed once you

submit your receipts. In cases of financial hardship, Passport

funding can be provided in advance for approved Passport

supports and receipts submitted afterwards. You may use up

to 10 per cent of your funding to hire a broker to look after

paying your service provider/workers.

You or your broker can buy services and supports from:

• Non-profit organizations (government - and non-

government funded)

• Private (i.e. for-profit) organizations, and

• Independent workers. As their employer, it is up to you to:

• Interview workers

• Check references

• Schedule hours

• Negotiate what services will be provided

• Ensure safe working conditions

• Deduct appropriate taxes

• Meet the requirements of provincial and federal

legislation that relate to employer/employee relations.

Some questions to ask when working with an agency:

Have I considered more than one agency when choosing

one to work with?

Does the agency I have chosen provide the services

I am looking for?

Am I satisfied with the budget the agency has worked out?

How do we arrange to get a combination of direct and agency funding?

You can arrange to purchase some services directly and

receive some from a Transfer Payment Agency, which will

receive your funding directly. You will need to sign an

agreement (page 12, step 1) and a contract, (page 14, step 1).

How do we arrange to have the funds paid directly to a ministry-funded agency?

There are two main steps that need to be taken once funding

has been approved, if you want to have a ministry-funded

agency manage your funds. These are:

1) Signing a contract

You will need to arrange for the appropriate services and

supports for your family member through a Transfer Payment

Agency, and sign a contract with the service provider. This

contract will set out:

• The amount of funding the Transfer Payment Agency will

receive to purchase services and supports for your family

member

• The start and end date of the time period that Passport

funding will flow to the Transfer Payment Agency

• A detailed financial budget that outlines how the Transfer

Payment Agency will spend your funding.

2) Receiving agency supports and services

The Passport funding will go to the chosen agency, not

you, as payment for the supports and services your family

member is receiving. It is important that you ask the chosen

agency whether it will charge an administrative fee. Most do,

and this money comes out of your funding. 14



• Application Form

• Passport Guidelines

• Planning Guide

• “Creating a Good Life in Community”: a guide on Person

Directed Planning (Plain Language Version)

Government website:

www.ontario.ca/community

• Sample family/worker agreements

www.respiteservices.com

No. Once you have been approved for Passport community

participation support funding, it and your Passport funding

arrangement will follow you to your new home.

You will need to contact your Passport Delivery Agency before

you move, to tell them when you are moving and your new

address. You will also need to arrange for the community

participation supports your family member needs in your

new location. The Passport designated agency in your new

community can help you find the supports you need.

Yes. In order to respond to your family member’s changing

needs and reflect his or her ongoing personal plans, you will

have to re-submit an application form every three years. This

can be a chance to revise your family member’s individual plan.

This requirement exists to ensure that the needs of

individuals in receipt of Passport are being addressed

appropriately.15

Will my family member have tore-apply for Passport funding if heor she moves to a new community? Where can I get more information?

Will my family member need to have his or her support needs reviewed once he or she has been accepted?

Designated Agency Address Telephone Fax Website

Central East Region

The Regional Municipality

of Durham

339 Westney Road South

Suite 103, Ajax, ON

L1S 7J6

(905) 683-3466

ext. 230

(905) 683-3466 www.region.durham.on.ca

York Support Services

Network

102 Main Street South

Unit #3, Newmarket, ON

L3Y 3Y7

(905) 898-6455

ext. 444

(905) 898-1171 www.yssn.ca

Catulpa Community

Support Services

165 Ferris Lane

Barrie, ON

L4M 2Y1

(705) 733-3227

ext. 235

(705) 735-6826 www.Catulpa.on.ca

Tri-County Community

Support Services

349A George Street North

Suite 302,

Peterborough, ON

K9H 3P9

(705) 749-668

ext. 234

(705) 879-9247 www.tricountyss.ca

Central West Region

Central West Specialized

Developmental Services

53 Bond Street

Oakville, ON

L6K 1L8

(905) 844-7864

ext. 236

(905)-844-3545 www.cwsds.ca

Eastern Region

Ontario March Of Dimes 2249 Carling Avenue

Suite 200, Ottawa, ON

K2B 7E9

(613) 596-3463 (613) 596-5696 www.marchofdimes.ca

16

Passport Delivery Agencies - Contact Information

17


Hamilton Niagara Region

Contact Brant 25 King Street

Brantford, ON

N3T 3C4

(519) 758-8228 (519) 758-9507 www.contactbrant.net

Contact Haldimand/

Norfolk

101 Nanticoke Creek

Parkway Townsend, ON

N0A 1S0

(519) 587-2441

ext. 350

(519) 587-4798 www.hnreach.on.ca/h-n/contact.htm

Contact Hamilton 140 King Street East

Suite 4 Hamilton, ON

L8N 1B2

(905) 570-8888 (905) 522-6957 http://contacthamilton.ca

Contact Niagara 23 Hannover Drive, Unit 8

St. Catharines ON

L2W 1A3

(905) 684-3407 (905) 684-2728 http://www.contactniagara.org

Toronto Region

Family Service Toronto 700 Lawrence Ave West

Suite 498 Toronto, ON

M6A 3B4

(416) 780-1106 (416) 595-0242 www.familyservicetoronto.org

North East Region

Child and Family Services

of Timmins and District

707 Ross Avenue East

Timmins ON

P4N 8R1

(705) 360-7100 (705) 360-7200 www.timminschildfamily.org

The Family Help Network 222 Main Street East

North Bay ON

P1B 1B1

(705) 476-2293 (705) 495-1373 www.thefamilyhelpnetwork.ca


18


Northern Region

YWCA Sudbury 370 St Raphael Street

Sudbury Ontario

P3B 4K7

(705) 673-4754 (705) 688-1727 http://ywcasudbury.ca/ywca

South East Region

Extend-A-Family P.O. Box 416

Napanee, ON

K7R 3P5

(613) 354-1805 (613) 354-6777 www.eafkingston.com

South West Region

Family Service Windsor 235 Eugenie Street West

Suite 105 A Windsor, ON

N8X 2X7

(519) 256-1831 (519) 256-5258 www.familyservicewindsor.on.ca

Family Counselling Centre 1086 Modeland Road

Building 1030 Sarnia, ON

N7S 6L2

(519) 336-0120 (519) 336-8517 www.familycounsellingctr.com

Keystone Child

Youth and Family Services

845 2nd Avenue East

Owen Sound, ON

N4K 2M9

(519) 371-4773 (519) 371-6397 www.keystonebrucegrey.org

Community Services

Coordination Network

171 Queens Avenue

Suite 750 London, ON

N6A 5J7

(519) 438-4783 (519) 673-1509 www.cscn.on.ca

Family Services Kent 770 Richmond Street

R R #5, Chatham, ON

N7M 5J5

(519) 354-6221 (519) 354-5152 www.famskent.ca


passport - legislative assembly of ontario · passport is the right choice for your family member....

Documents