Week 4 Reading - Guide To Quality Assurance Measures

Social Inclusion of Persons with Development Disabilities Act 2008

● Everyone should be treated the same way.
● Services and support are flexible to meet people’s needs.

Regulation on Quality Assurance Measures

● The rules that agencies and developmental services in Ontario must follow.
● These are rules that provide high-quality services, and support and meet standards.

Who Has to Follow These Rules?

● Service Agencies/Agencies
○ This is funded by the Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services.
○ This provides services and supports to people with developmental disabilities.
○ They make sure that everyone applying for services and support is treated in the
same way.

Application Entities
● This is the legal term for developmental services in Ontario
○ This is where people can get services and support to find out if help is applicable
and to complete an application

The Ministry of Community and Social Services Rule

● Direct Funding
○ This is when money is paid directly to an adult with a developmental disability or
to someone else for that individual.
● Giving money directly lets people manage their support and make their own decisions.

Agencies and Developmental Service’s New Rules to Follow

● Policies and procedures are kept in a book in the agency’s office or at developmental
services Ontario, where every employee can read them.
● Provide the staff and volunteers with the information they need for their jobs.
● When handing over money to another organization or person, the agencies make sure
that the same quality assurance rules apply.
● Checks that the person or organization is following the rules.
● Everyone in the agencies and developmental services Ontario must follow all policies
and procedures.
● Review Its policies and procedures regularly and update them as needed.
● In some cases, the Ministry will give flexibility to agencies and Development Services
Ontario to create rules that best fit their services and support.
● In other cases, the Ministry and Development Services Ontario will tell the agencies
what rules they must follow and check to ensure that they are following these rules.

Deadlines on Following Rules

● The quality assurance rules for agencies came into effect on January 1, 2011.
● Rules for developmental services in Ontario came into effect on July 1, 2011.

Regulation of Quality Assurance Measures on Agencies

● Developing Individual Support Plans
○ Agencies must have a support plan for everyone who uses their services and
support.
 ○ The plan must be made with the person who has a developmental disability or
someone acting on their behalf.
○ The plan must be checked and updated yearly.
○ Individual support plan should include:
■ The person’s goals and expected results.
■ Services and supports the person will get from the agency.
■ Steps to make sure the person is healthy and safe
■ If the person needs help managing their money
■ Other community resources that may be available (such as a sports team
at the local gym or a program at the library)
● Promoting Social Inclusion, Individual Choice, Independence and Rights
○ Supporting people as a part of the community through activities like volunteering,
working and participating in local sports teams.
○ Agencies provide support to make sure people with developmental disabilities
can be part of the community where they live.
○ Agencies make sure that people have the support they need to live on their own
or with others and help them make informed choices.
○ All agencies must have a mission statement, service principles and statement of
rights.
○ Agencies must explain their mission statement and policies to everyone by
holding meetings with their staff, volunteers and board members.
● Helping with Day-to-Day Finances
○ Agencies must have rules to explain how they can help the person manage their
money If the person needs or asks for help.
○ Agencies have to keep a separate record for each person who gets help and has
to be checked yearly by a third party.
■ Third Party is someone other than the person at the agency who helps
with the finances.
● Health Promotion, Medical Services and Medication
○ Agencies have rules about providing public health information to the people they
support.
○ Helping people make informed choices about their health includes information
on:
■ Nutrition
■ Fitness
■ Hygiene
■ Personal Safety
○ Agencies have rules about monitoring the health concerns of people they support
when It’s included in their support plans.
○ Agencies keep records of medical services provided to the people they support.
○ Agencies have rules about how they handle, store and use medication.
○ Staff and volunteers must be trained in first aid and CPR.
■ CPR is an emergency procedure that is performed when a person’s
breathing or heartbeat stops.
● Preventing and Reporting Abuse
○ Types of Abuse
■ Physical Abuse
■ Hitting
■ Pushing
■ Kicking
■ Rough handling
 ■ Using a weapon/object to hurt someone
■ Wrong use of medication
■ Neglect
■ Not giving proper food, clothing, hygiene
■ Not taking care of health and safety needs
■ Sexual Abuse
■ Touching someone’s sexual body parts or forcing them to do
something of a sexual nature
■ Forcing someone to have sex when they do not want to
■ Making someone watch pictures or videos that make them
uncomfortable
■ making offensive sexual comments and jokes and saying things
that hurt someone or make them uncomfortable
■ Emotional Abuse
■ Bullying
■ Creating fear or scaring people
■ Keeping someone away from their friends and family
■ Not giving privacy
■ Verbal Abuse
■ Making comments on things like race and gender
■ Threatening people
■ Using abusive language or swearing
■ Financial Abuse
■ Stealing or taking someone’s money by forcing or tricking them
■ Using someone’s money without asking them
■ Forcing someone to sign a document to give their money to
someone else
■ Making changes to someone’s financial documents
○ Rules must include information about what the staff should do when:
■ Someone says they have been abused.
■ Staff sees abuse happening.
■ Staff thinks that abuse might be happening
○ In each case, The agency must report the events to the police immediately.
○ The rules must also outline to deal with staff and volunteers involved in the
abuse.
○ Agencies must train their staff, volunteers and board members on these policies
yearly.
○ Agencies must help people be aware of the abuse and how to protect
themselves.
○ Agencies review their policies and procedure every year to see If It’s effective
and make changes needed to stop abuse from happening.
● Confidentiality and Privacy
○ These are rules that protect the personal information of people they support.
● Safety in Agency Owned or Operated Places
○ Things that agencies must do to make sure people are safe:
■ Have an approved fire safety plan according to Ontario’s Fire Code.
■ Have an emergency preparedness plan to make people safe in an
emergency such as a natural disaster like a flood.
■ Training staff on the fire safety plan and emergency preparedness plan.
■ Have a plan for situations where there is a service disruption.
○ Equipment agencies have to keep in good working order
 ■ Elevators
■ Vehicle
■ Heating and Cooling Systems
■ Smoke Detectors
● Keeping People Safe
○ Agencies must have rules about the personal safety and security of the people.
○ Needs to have enough staff to ensure people’s safety and well-being.
● Human Resource Practices
○ All staff and volunteers must be trained on the agency’s policies and procedures
regarding reference checks and police record checks.
● Service Records
○ Agencies must keep records on file for all people for seven years after the person
stops receiving services and supports from the agency.

Quality Assurance Measure Related to Behaviour Intervention Strategies

● These plans tell staff how they can help someone who behaves in a way that puts that
person or others at risk of harm.
○ Supported Group Living Residences
○ Intensive Support Residences
○ Community Participation Supports
○ Activities of Daily Living Services and Support
○ Caregiver respite and support

General Behaviour Intervention Strategies

● Behavior Intervention
○ Agency staff needs to know how to help a person who may harm themselves or
others.
● Training in Behaviour Intervention Strategies
○ Agencies train staff and volunteer on how to support these individuals and help
them with their behavior.
● Behavior Support Plans
○ This plan is based on the person’s needs and well-being and must be written by
people who have skills in this area.
● Using Intrusive Behavior Intervention
○ Staff should use intrusive behavior interventions only when a person might hurt
themselves or someone else or damage property.

Quality Assurance Measure for Residential Services and Supports

● Supporting the well-being of the person
● Agencies must support the well-being of people who live in these residential settings,
These include:
○ Helping people get medical and dental appointments
○ Providing information on health and nutrition
○ Having rules about providing meals, care of the personal property, pets and
service animals
● Ensuring Comfort and Safety in Residences
○ Agencies make sure that residences are safe which includes:
■ Keeping all appliances in good working order.
■ Storing dangerous materials safely.
■ Providing Comfortable bedrooms.
■ Having clean and safe recreation and common areas.
 ■ Maintaining comfortable temperatures in the home throughout the year.

Quality Assurance Measures for Development Services Ontario

● Promoting social inclusion, individual choice and independence
● Preventing and reporting abuse.
● Maintaining confidentiality and privacy
● Ensuring safety on site
● Having human resources practices about training and reference checks for the
employees.
● Keeping service records