top of page

Self-Managed Attendant Services in Ontario

 

What is Direct Funding?

 

Direct Funding is an innovative program enabling adults with physical disabilities to become employers of their own attendants. Attendants assist with routine activities of living, such as dressing, grooming and bathing.

 

As employers, participants are fully responsible for managing their own employees within a budget that is developed on an individual basis. Different people have different needs. Direct Funding is intended as an option suited to people with physical disabilities who are willing and able to take on the extra management responsibilities (and possible risks) of the program. Available province wide, the Direct Funding Program enables adults with physical disabilities to receive monthly funds for attendants of their own choosing, to schedule as they please - whether their needs are at home, at work, or in the community. Individuals self-manage their lives, making their own choices with greater flexibility and control.

Through the Direct Funding Program, people with disabilities become employers or self-managers, taking full responsibility for hiring and managing their own attendants, and determining how and when their services are provided. The program is portable, meaning participants can live and travel anywhere within the province of Ontario, taking their services along with them. Direct Funding operates within guidelines set by the Ontario government. You can apply if:

​

  1. You are age 16 or over;

  2. You are a resident of Ontario;

  3. You require attendant services due to a permanent physical disability;

  4. You are able to complete the written application on your own initiative and in your own words (you may receive physical assistance to complete the form; however, submissions may not be made by professionals, family members, or others on your behalf);

  5. You are able to schedule attendants;

  6.  You are able to hire (and fire, if necessary), train, and           supervise one or more attendant workers;

  7.  You are able to meet all the legal requirements                     associated with being an employer (these will be clearly       explained during the interview process);

  8.  You are capable of managing and accounting for your           funding, according to DF program guidelines.

​

The Direct Funding Program is administered by the Centre for Independent Living in Toronto (CILT), Inc., in partnership with the Ontario Network of Independent Living Centres (ONILC).

​

It is funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care through the Toronto Central Local Health Integration Network.

How do I know if DF is right for me?

If you are considering submitting an application to the Direct Funding Program for yourself, or referring a client, you should know that Direct Funding is often the right program for the person who needs attendant services, who wants more control over those services and who is willing to accept responsibility for managing those services. Although the management aspects can seem daunting at first, almost 900 people across Ontario are managing their own services very successfully. Following are a few points to keep in mind if you are thinking of Direct Funding for yourself or your client:


1. You must able to self-direct, which means you understand your disability including what assistance you need, when and how you need it and you can instruct attendants to help you.

​

2.  Self-management, in terms of the Direct Funding Program, describes an individual who is willing and able to accept the responsibilities of recruiting, hiring, training and paying the attendant staff they need to live independently. A self-manager must be able to make difficult decisions about which people they want to hire, and, if the situation arises (which it may) which people must be fired. Direct Funding requires an individual, or “self-manager” to become an employer, register with Revenue Canada, and submit the required monthly and quarterly government submissions. There is money in the budget to hire a bookkeeper and a good bookkeeper is a key part of Direct Funding but ultimate responsibility always rests with the self-manager. Once again, this may sound like a lot of responsibility for someone new to the world of self-management but the plus is that many people are able to hire long-term, reliable staff. Much of this has to do with the important personal fit that can be found when people hire their own attendants.
 

Following is the list of eligibility criteria for the program. A person must meet all the eligibility criteria for the program in order to receive Direct Funding.

Eligibility Criteria

 

These eligibility criteria reflect the Regulation made under the Ministry of Community and Social Services Act: Grants for Persons with Disabilities, which stands as the final authority.

 

To be eligible for the program a person must be a resident of Ontario, hold a valid Ontario Health Card and must meet ALL the following criteria:

A person is an eligible person for the program

if he/she:

 

  1. is at least 16 years old;

  2. requires attendant services as a result of a permanent physical disability;

Service Needs

 

  1. requires the attendant services referred to in at least two of 1 to 8 and at least one of them is from 1 to 4 of the following:

  2. requires attendant services as a result of a permanent physical disability;

 

“Attendant services” means assistance with activities of living referred to in 1 to 8 of the list below. An “attendant worker” means a worker who provides any of the attendant services referred to in 1 to 8 of the list below.

​

  1. turning in bed, lifting, positioning or transferring;

  2. washing, bathing, showering, shaving or personal grooming;

  3. dressing or undressing;

  4. catheterization, emptying and changing a leg bag, using the toilet, urination or bowel routines;

  5. breathing, or caring for a tracheostomy or respiratory equipment;

  6. eating/being fed;

  7. ​meal preparation, dishwashing, laundry or other housekeeping tasks; and

  8. essential communication;

 

Has attendant services requirements that have been stable over a period of at least one year;

 

Has service requirements that can be met while residing in his/her home;

Self-Directing

 

1.  understands the nature of his/her disability and       its impact on his/her ability to carry out the             essential activities of daily living;

 

2.  is aware of the type of attendant services               he/she requires and when, how much and how       assistance should be provided;

 

3.  is capable of scheduling his/her attendant               services as well as making alternative                     arrangements to ensure that his/her                         requirements are met in case an attendant             worker is not available at a scheduled time;

 

4.  is capable of training or arranging the training         of, supervising, instructing and communicating       with attendant workers;

Managing

 

1.  â€‹is capable of recruiting, hiring and dismissing attendant       workers;

 

2.  is capable of understanding and carrying out the                   responsibilities as an employer of one or more attendant       workers;

 

3.  is capable of managing and accounting for the                       expenditure of the funds that would be granted to                 him/her;

 

4.  is capable of evaluating the attendant services he/she           would receive and of communicating his/her evaluation;       and

 

5.  is prepared to undertake the functions referred to in             clauses mentioned above and to assume the                         responsibility and risks inherent in undertaking those           functions.

Mission
 

Empower adults with disabilities by eliminating barriers, promoting and encouraging their citizenship, and assisting them in attaining and maintaining their own independent living goals.

Vision
 

Provide disabled individuals and their families with research, information, support, and empowerment designed to facilitate greater independence and build an inclusive and accessible society where all persons with disabilities are valued equally and participate fully.

Mandate

​

  • To be an organization run by people with disabilities for people with disabilities.

 

  • To offer opportunities for disabled persons to learn skills necessary for successful integration into the community including economic opportunity.

 

  • To develop and implement services, programs and activities that empower individuals rather than create dependencies.

 

  • To recognize that persons with disabilities have the right to take control of their own lives through increased knowledge and examination of options, making informed choices, and taking calculated risks.

I'm a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. It's easy.

Copyright © 2018 - RISE Resource Centre For Independent Living 

bottom of page