Effective July 1, 2023, the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services has introduced new regulatory amendments to support the implementation of the Quality Standards Framework: A Resource Guide to Improve the Quality of Care for Children and Young Persons in Licensed Residential Settings. The new Quality Standards Framework (QSF) regulations seek to improve the quality-of-care children and youth receive from service providers.
The Ministry is committed to prioritizing family-based placements and improving group care for children and youth who cannot stay at home. The Ministry will continue to engage with the child welfare sector to better understand challenges associated with finding appropriate placement options and working collaboratively on meeting the needs of Ontario’s children, youth and families.
Areas affected include:
- New regulatory requirements for pre-service educational qualifications for frontline staff and supervisors, and a new Directive on foster parent training.
- New requirements for child specific safety assessments and safety plans.
- Improved service planning, including before a child or young person’s admission to a placement and at transitions, for example, amendments will be made to the pre-placement assessment, case management and plans of care requirements.
- Further enhancing the youth’s voice in the care they receive.
- Clarification and establishment of the rules and restrictions specific to the use of physical and mechanical restraints.
- Expectations for a child or young person’s education
- Amendments to the complaints requirements to support fairer, impartial, transparent and objective complaints mechanisms for children, young persons and their families.
We continue to work to transition our organization to respond to the new requirements. If you have any questions or comments, please email communications@yorkcas.org.
