2025 Exchange Conference
Thank you to all of those who presented, moderated, attended, engaged, and helped make the Conference a success. Our Conference provided the opportunity to bring first-line human services staff from across Ontario to learn, inspire, and think about the Ontario we all want.
Over two days, the Exchange Conference focused on several important professional development topics, enhancing skill sets, and the innovative work happening in each of our sectors to address the most pressing issues in our local communities.
Resources
Please see a list of approved resources to share with attendees and members.
OMSSA will add approved presentations and resources when they are received.
Day 1 Opening Plenary Slides on the History of the Creation of OMSSA from John Stapleton
Breakout 1.1: Infant and Early Mental Health Care Pathways & Integrated Systems + Unique Data Collection = Better Child Outcomes
- Infant and Early Mental Health Care Pathways Initiative Brief
- Infant and Early Mental Health Care Pathways Website
Breakout 1.3: Collaborative Outreach: Providing Tiered Care for Homeless Populations & Rethinking Paramedicine to Better Support the Community, Improve Access to Care, and Reduce Impact on Toronto’s Health Care System
- Collaborative Outreach: Providing Tiered Care for Homeless Populations City of Brantford & Brant-Brantford Community Paramedic Services Presentation Slides
- Rethinking Paramedicine Toronto Paramedic Services Presentation Slides
Breakout 1.4: Building Strong Landlord Partnerships: Durham Region Housing Program & Supporting Tenants and Preserving Tenancies in Community Housing
Breakout 1.5: Navigating Workplace Risk: Legal Obligations in Health, Safety, and Mental Well-Being
Breakout 2.1: Local Municipal Champion: WERECE: Windsor-Essex Registered Early Childhood Educators: A Local Approach to Recruitment and Retention & Local Municipal Champion: Northumberland Early Years Employment Initiative – EYEI Program
- Northumberland EYEI Program Presentation
- Summary of Northumberland Presentation
- Windsor-Essex WERECE Presentation Slides
Breakout 2.2: Collaborating to Address Encampments: Assertive Street Outreach in Niagara & Peel’s Asylum Claimant Response
- Niagara Homelessness Services Encampment Protocol
- Addressing Encampments in Welland and Niagara Region Presentation Slides
Breakout 3.1: Conditions of Quality and SNR Review – A New System Model & Quality Assurance and Compliance in Special Needs Resourcing
Breakout 3.2: Local Municipal Champion: Region of Durham: Building Collaborations for Responsive Mental Health and Social Care Supports and Services & B) Local Municipal Champion: County of Simcoe: Access to Integrated Care in Couchiching: A Partnership Between the County of Simcoe Ontario Works and Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital
Breakout 3.3: Addressing the Housing Crisis for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities: A Municipal Perspective & Collaborative Housing Solutions for Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
- Addressing the Housing Crisis for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities – A Municipal Perspective
- Tackling the Housing Gap Slide Deck
- Tackling the Housing Gap – Briefing Document
- B3 Fire Code and Care Occupancy
- Reena Housing Standards 2024
- Intentional Community Consortium Brochure: English / French
- 2024 National Housing Day Campaign Video
- Inclusive Housing Resource Guide
- Collaborative Housing Solutions for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Breakout 4.2: Growth by Design: Expanding Not-for-Profit and Public Child Care
- About Child Care Now
- Overview of Growth by Design, current project and related papers
- Child care expansion in Manitoba: Spotlight on the Ready-to-Move initiative
- Childcare Resource and Research Unit: Moving from private to public processes: A series on creating child care in Canada
- Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance Who Does What series: The municipal role in child care
- City of Vancouver: Making Strides: Vancouver’s Childcare Strategy
Breakout 4.4: Addressing NIMBYism in Transitional Housing Projects
Breakout 4.5: Local Municipal Champion: County of Renfrew: Mesa – A Collaborative Approach to Compassionate Care & Navigating Housing Instability: Strategies for Supporting Clients with Complex Needs
Breakout 5.1: The Power of Stay Interviews: A Key to Unlocking Employee Engagement and Retention & Building Workforce Sustainability in Child Care and Early Years: A Collaborative Approach Between the Region of Waterloo and Ryelle Strategy Group
Breakout 5.2: Advancing Health Equity in Housing and Child Care Settings: Opportunities to Improve Conditions Through Collaboration Across Sectors
Breakout 5.4: People, Process, and Paper: Evaluating Toronto’s STARS Supports Assessment Tool & Using a Data-Driven Prioritization Method to Support the Launch of Needs-Based Portable Housing Subsidies
- STARS Supports Assessment Evaluation Presentation Slides
- Peel Region Needs-Based Subsidies Presentation Slides
Day 2 Closing Plenary: From Insight to Impact: Turning Conference Inspiration Into Real-World Change
Thank you to our Exchange Partners
OMSSA would like to thank our partners for supporting the 2025 Exchange Conference.
Please click on their logos below to visit their websites and learn more about these organizations.
Sponsorship opportunities are available for the 2025 Exchange Conference.
For more information, please email sponsorship@omssa.com.
Exchange Conference Photos
Please see below a small selection of photos from the 2025 Exchange Conference.
Day 1 Opening Plenary: Supporting, Connecting, Advocating: Celebrating OMSSA’s Role in Provincial Social Services
Day 1 Opening Plenary: Supporting, Connecting, Advocating: Celebrating OMSSA’s Role in Provincial Social Services
Breakout 1.1: Infant and Early Mental Health Care Pathways & Integrated Systems + Unique Data Collection = Better Child Outcomes
Breakout 1.2: Local Municipal Champion: Region of Peel – From Idea to Impact: Expanding Access to Essential Services in Peel Region & Closer Than They Appear: Navigating Client Journeys with Partnership Development and Asset Mapping
Breakout 1.4: Building Strong Landlord Partnerships: Durham Region Housing Program & Supporting Tenants and Preserving Tenancies in Community Housing
Breakout 2.2: Collaborating to Address Encampments: Assertive Street Outreach in Niagara & Peel’s Asylum Claimant Response
Breakout 3.2: Local Municipal Champion: Region of Durham: Building Collaborations for Responsive Mental Health and Social Care Supports and Services & Local Municipal Champion: County of Simcoe: Access to Integrated Care in Couchiching: A Partnership Between the County of Simcoe Ontario Works and Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital
Display table in Breakout 4.1: Welcoming the Rainbow: Creating Resources for 2SLGBTQ+ Inclusion in Children’s Programs & “Embracing Black Hair” Beauty Salon & Barber Shop
Day 2 Closing Plenary: From Insight to Impact: Turning Conference Inspiration Into Real-World Change