Special Needs Executive Summary

On February 11, 2015, a collective memorandum pertaining to the emerging Special Needs Strategy in Ontario was released by the Ministries of Children and Youth Services (MCYS), Community and Social Services (MCSS), Education (EDU), as well as Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) (MEMO, 2015). Per the memorandum, the Special Needs Strategy has been proposed by the ministries to catalyze restructuring of the service delivery process for children and youth with special needs (MEMO, 2012). Hence, strategic proposal development is geared towards ensuring that the target population receives “the timely and effective services they need to participate fully at home, school, in the community, and as they prepare to achieve their goals for adulthood” (MEMO,

The first document highlighted expectations around collaborating to achieve coordinated service planning in Ontario (MCYS, MCSS, EDU, and MOHLTC, 2014a). In contrast, the second document summarized ministry expectations with regards to streamlining and integrating the delivery of rehabilitation services (MCYS, MCSS, EDU, and MOHLTC, 2014b).

Augmented coordination of service planning. As such, enhanced coordination of services will primarily encompass three components: one coordinating agency in each of 34 designated service delivery areas that is readily accessible by families as a prime entry point; service planning coordinators employed through coordinating agencies, who will assist families with navigation between children's services, health, and education settings; and a coordinated service plan based on a child's “goals, strengths, needs, as well as all of the services that the child/youth is and will be receiving” (MCYS, MCSS, EDU, and MOHLTC, 2014a, p.

Accordingly, the emphasis on paediatric OT services is expected to rise—fuelled by an increased focus on functional ability and engagement in child and youth occupations. Also, OTs will be further compelled into becoming experts in service navigation. In this way, OTs will need to acquire knowledge of systems-level changes to service provision, and will be expected to collaborate with service planning coordinators. In doing so, OTs can foster seamless delivery of rehabilitation services and eliminate duplication of assessments and treatments, in congruence with provincial goals. Lastly, OTs across all paediatric settings (e.g., school health, treatment centres, etc.) may be required to follow children and youth over longer periods of time, to reduce the number of transitions between services prior to entering adulthood. As such, intervention teams at children’s treatment centres will likely be restructured to address a broader age