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October 10, 2025
Questions & Answers
Earlier Connections to Employment Services
Q1: What is happening?
The Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services (MCCSS), in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MLITSD), will begin implementing a new accelerated employment service pathway for some Ontario Works applicants on November 10, 2025.
An employment service readiness assessment is integrated directly into the social assistance digital application to enable timely referrals to Employment Ontario for Ontario Works applicants assessed as employment service ready based on application data and available insights.
Q2: Why are we integrating employment service readiness assessment at intake?
The integration of employment service readiness assessment at the social assistance application stage builds on early insights from Integrated Employment Services (IES), which has shown positive outcomes for clients referred by caseworkers or those who self-refer to Employment Ontario.
This change is primarily a backend logic enhancement that supports earlier identification of employment service readiness without significantly altering the client experience during the digital application.
By enabling accelerated referrals to Employment Ontario based on employment service readiness, we aim to improve social assistance client outcomes by:
Q3: How will the role of municipalities and District Social Services Administration Boards (DSSABs) be affected by the change?
This change introduces timely referrals for a subset of Ontario Works applicants who apply through the social assistance digital application and are assessed as employment service ready. These clients may be referred earlier to Employment Ontario to support faster access to employment services.
Municipalities and DSSABs continue to play a central role in supporting all social assistance clients. For clients who are not referred at grant through this process, local offices remain responsible for conducting Common Assessments, initiating referrals to Employment Ontario, reviewing deferred reasons, and ensuring every client has a tailored Action Plan in place.
Even for clients who are referred through the accelerated pathway, municipalities and DSSABs continue to provide the full suite of wrap-around, person-centred supports. This model streamlines the referral process for employment service ready clients while reinforcing the vital role of caseworkers and local offices in delivering integrated services across the social assistance and employment systems.
Q4: How will this change affect social assistance clients?
This accelerated employment service pathway will connect eligible Ontario Works clients, who apply through the Social Assistance Digital Application and are assessed as employment service ready, with Employment Ontario earlier in their application process. Clients will continue to be supported through the completion of common assessments, development of action plans and monitoring client progress. Our goal is to support clients in gaining quicker access to employment services and experience improved outcomes.
This change will not affect social assistance payments. Clients will continue to receive financial support as usual, regardless of their referral to employment services.
Q5: How is the ministry collaborating with municipalities and District Social Services Administration Boards (DSSABs) to improve the employment intake process?
This approach builds on feedback received from regular engagement tables, catchment meetings and discussions with our municipal and DSSABs partners. We continue to actively engage our municipal and DSSABs partners to ensure that we remain aligned on this collaborative approach to improve our program delivery to best support Ontarians.
The ministry will also continue to host IES Community of Practice sessions. These sessions are a dedicated space for delivery partners to ask questions and share feedback. An operational support questions and answers document will also be available on the SA Extranet by early November.
Q6. Will Ontario Works performance targets change for 2026?
As 2025 marks the completion of IES and was the first year that all 47 sites were introduced to the new performance measures and ministry set targets, the ministry is reviewing the targets alongside other initiatives to ensure 2026 targets align with government priorities and support clients in moving towards employment.
Ministry recognizes that the referral of a subset of applicants through this new pathway has impacts on the pool of clients for Ontario Works sites to refer. However, without sufficient information and data, it is too early to make any informed changes to the targets. After implementation, ministry will start monitoring the impact of the new referral pathways to ensure future target setting is informed by data and system capacity.
Q7: How will this impact 2026 municipal funding?
There are no impacts to 2026 funding arrangements as a result of the accelerated referral pathway.
Q8: Will there be impacts to First Nations employment services?
These changes do not impact First Nations Ontario Works delivery.
Q9: What operational supports are available to municipalities/DSSABs?
Operational readiness and change management materials will be shared in advance of implementation. This includes an Operational Q&A, Key Messages for Clients, Recommended Business Processes, Updated User Guides and communication and support channels for addressing issues.
Q10: How will data be shared between MCCSS and MLITSD?
Data sharing protocols are in place to ensure secure and timely transfer of client information for those referred to Employment Ontario. Privacy and consent requirements are strictly followed.
Q11: How will feedback be collected and used?
Feedback from municipalities and DSSABs will be collected through Community of Practice sessions, surveys, and direct engagement. This input will inform future iterations of the model.
Q12: Who should I contact if I have questions?
Questions and feedback can be submitted through iesresponse@ontario.ca
Questions & Answers
Centralization of the Social Assistance Intake Function
Q11. Why is intake being centralized for ODSP?
Centralizing ODSP intake is a progression in the ministry’s commitment to building a more responsive, efficient, and person-centered social assistance system. It builds on recent modernization efforts, including the single online application for Ontario Works and ODSP, and the centralization of intake for Ontario Works.
Centralizing intake functions enables local office staff to focus more fully on what they do best: delivering responsive, person-centered supports to clients. For ODSP clients, this means a faster and easier application process and more opportunities to connect to personalized supports, such as employment where possible.
Q12. What is changing in how people apply for ODSP when the centralized intake model is implemented?
Under the centralized intake model, the channels of applying—online, by phone, and in person—will continue to be available, with some changes to how in-person applications are handled.
Q.13 Does the centralized intake process impact the completion and review of the Disability Determination Package (DDP) for ODSP applicants?
The process for completing and reviewing the DDP remains unchanged. Once financial eligibility is confirmed by SA intake staff, clients will receive the DDP, which is now automatically generated and mailed in most scenarios. It will then be reviewed by the Disability Adjudication Unit as per current process. This ensures continuity in the disability determination process while streamlining intake operations. As per current process, a person applying as a member of a prescribed class will not be required to complete a DDP.
Q14. How will this change impact First Nations applicants?
These changes do not impact First Nations sites who deliver ODSP, and existing relationships and processes with local ODSP offices will remain in place. A “no wrong door” approach will continue to support First Nations applicants through online, phone, and at local offices through dedicated staff.
Q15. How does the centralization of ODSP intake affect the Ontario Works intake process?
This transition is being carefully structured to maintain Ontario Works intake capacity. Ontario Works and ODSP intake functions will operate through distinct units within the same organizational area, ensuring continuity of service and minimizing disruption for clients.
