Knowledge Exchange Blog
SPONSOR / ADVERTISEMENT
OMSSA Attends 2025 AMO Conference
OMSSA had the opportunity to join close to 3,000 delegates for the 2025 AMO Conference. This annual conference offers informative sessions, individual municipal delegations, networking opportunities, and an opportunity to hear from the Premier and also federal and provincial Ministers. OMSSA staff were pleased to see many Members participating and advocating on issues related to human services.
Shining a Light on SAMS Data The City of Ottawa’s Case Management Tool
The City of Ottawa’s Case Management Tool is a successful replacement to working out of the Provincial SAMS reports. It’s more accurate, more timely and more user-friendly. It comes in the form of a suite of Power BI dashboards tailored to the needs of the user groups. These dashboards are operationalized and are the prime sources of information for Ontario Works case management. Prior to this, Ottawa relied on reports from Social Assistance Legacy Information (SALI) for performance metrics and manually-maintained Excel files to keep on top of caseloads. Learn more about the work Ottawa is doing to help their community.
Dufferin County Providing Shelter From the Storm
Although winter is several months away, Dufferin County is already taking measures to ensure the safety of residents and visitors during bouts of severe winter weather or any other emergencies that may arise. A cornerstone of their community preparedness efforts is a fleet of eight (8) new emergency support trailers. These trailers are intended to provide emergency support services personnel with the equipment they need to open a temporary shelter in situations where external aid might not be readily available, such as blizzards, tornadoes, road closures, or residential fires. Learn more about how Dufferin County is preparing for the next emergency.
Highlights of the 2024 Exchange Conference
Over 400 people from the human services, health, child care, and public services participated in OMSSA’s in-person Exchange Conference held on May 7 and 8 in Mississauga. Over these two days there was an opportunity to focus on several important professional development topics, enhance skill sets, and showcase the innovative work happening in each of our sectors to address the most pressing issues in our local communities. Read more about the highlights of our most recent Conference.
Region of Durham Adult Protective Services: Innovative Partnerships and Housing Stability
OMSSA is featuring several 2023 Local Municipal Champion award recipients and their work in the Knowledge Exchange Blog. Please read this entry from the Region of Durham.
The Adult Protective Services (APS) team provides case management and advocacy for over 300 adults with developmental disabilities living in the community. Clients of the APS program are those with mild developmental/intellectual disabilities that can often ‘fall-through-the-cracks’ and can represent some of our most vulnerable citizens in the community.
An Interview with Cathy Cousins
Cathy Cousins worked for the Region of Niagara in Corporate Services for 10 years, until 2005, when she began to hold a variety of roles in Community Services including Director of Support Services, Acting Commissioner, and Director of Homelessness Services and Community Engagement within the Region. She has experience with labour negotiations and job evaluation, and involvement in a variety of committees with the Office of the Fire Marshal and Emergency Management (OFMEM) for emergency management and emergency social services. She is skilled in budget preparation and management, financial reporting and committee presentations. Cathy has previous experience on the OMSSA Board as President and currently serves as Past-President. This interview explores her priorities in human services delivery for Niagara Region, her involvement with OMSSA, and her overall experience and contributions to the human services sector.
Lee Airton Real Talk and Fireside Chat Summary
At OMSSA’s 2024 Exchange Conference, our Day 2 Keynote Speaker, Lee Airton (they/them), Assistant Professor of Gender and Sexuality Studies in Education at Queen’s University, discussed contemporary successes and challenges in the work of creating institutions that welcome gender and sexual diversity, particularly in the changing Canadian political context. Lee also answered questions from attendees about specific practical issues that are arising in workplaces so we can work to ensure our spaces are affirming for all. This conversation, including Q&A, has been summarized for the Knowledge Exchange Blog and Exchange Conference Resource webpage.
An Interview with Mike Nadeau
Mike is currently the CEO of the Sault Ste. Marie Social Service Administration Board and Treasurer of OMSSA. He has over 20 years’ experience in both First Nations and municipal human services. Prior to joining the District of Sault Ste. Marie, Mike was the Executive Director for the Ontario Native Welfare Administrators’ Association (ONWAA) for 12 years and was accountable to 108 First Nations across the province.
Mike has extensive knowledge regarding human service delivery, policy and best practices. This interview explores his experience working with different communities and his overall experience and contributions to the human services sector.
Understanding Autistic Human Services Workers
Often, autistic individuals are overlooked for roles in helping professions, yet, recent research that examines autistic educators, nurses, librarians and doctors, demonstrate that those with lived experience are proud of their workplace contributions in helping professions, especially in relation to supporting autistic service users. Further, human services boast inclusive values and ethics, which might draw autistic workers towards the field. In this article, author Sarah Southey provides a brief overview of autism in the workplace and describe challenges and recommendations that can be implemented to foster neurodivergent inclusion in human services organizations.
Developing an Indigenous-led RECE Training Program in Niagara
OMSSA is featuring several 2023 Local Municipal Champion award recipients and their work in the Knowledge Exchange Blog. Please read this entry from Niagara Region.
The Niagara Region Children’s Services Division, the Fort Erie Native Friendship Centre (FENFC), Niagara College (NC) and Six Nations Polytechnic (SNP) formed a partnership, planned and delivered the Indigenous-led Registered Early Childhood Educator (RECE) Program pilot project.
An Interview with Andrew Scavarelli
Andrew is currently the Director of Ontario Works for the County of Simcoe and he is also Chair of OMSSA’s Awards Committee. Andrew has nearly 15 years of experience in the successful and integrated delivery of municipal social services. He began his career with the District of Thunder Bay Social Services Administration Board (TBDSSAB) in 2009, where he held progressive leadership roles, and played a key-role in TBDSSAB’s commitment and transition to an integrated service delivery model.
Known by his colleagues as an influential leader, strong consensus builder and exceptional communicator, Andrew is a visionary leader who continuously demonstrates his commitment to furthering social and human service integration.
This interview explores his experience working with different communities and his overall experience and contributions to the human services sector.