Ontario Care Collective

The Ontario Care Collective (OCC) was formed in 2025 when ORCA and OARTY merged. The two, formerly independent out of home care associations worked in partnership for several years before amalgamating to form the Ontario Care Collective. The OCC was created in the interest of having a unified, strong, effective, presence for our members and the individuals we serve.

History of OARTY

OARTY was started by a group of private in-care service providers in 1971 who envisioned a service sector that was focused on best practices, easy to navigate, and constantly improving. The association was incorporated in 1990 and is a registered charity. Over the years OARTY has successfully formed a network of high-quality private service providers, created advocacy within the sector, and provided training, networking, and education opportunities for their members and other stakeholders.

History of ORCA

ORCA, originally known as FCOAO, was founded in 2003. Throughout the years, ORCA’s board and administration has been membership-led (without staff) creating a strong, relevant voice with OARTY, MCCSS, the Ombudsman, child welfare agencies, children’s mental health organizations, and developmental services. ORCA has successfully challenged misinformed regulatory requirements and tax rulings while simultaneously supporting its members using a cooperative approach to training and sector trends.

Moving forward

At the Ontario Care Collective, we believe that every individual receiving services deserves access to the most current, high-quality providers. The OCC constantly strives to improve systems so that best practices and positive outcomes may be expected, always.

OCC members provide out of home care and other services intended to support daily living through foster care, staff model care, group care, adult-living, educational programs, camps, recreational programs, and therapeutic programs. We collectively support individuals in need of temporary, short term or long-term services with a variety of presenting needs.

The collective membership is proud to represent a group who is known to offer quality treatment, education, and care services. Each operator has demonstrated their commitment to continuous quality improvement by joining the OCC and adhering to our membership standards.

Access to supports offered by our members
Through IRIS (Integrated Residential Information System), the services our members provide can be matched up with those who need it most, assisting placing agencies and individuals, with finding the best possible match in an efficient and timely manner.

Working for higher standards and a better system
The OCC is working with government and community partners for higher standards of care. OCC members voluntarily agree to adhere to membership standards and are committed to continuous quality improvement.

Conducting valuable research
In 2025, the OCC intends to expand research efforts that will support meaningful capacity building. The OCC has been working with MCCSS on a model called ‘Expanding Quality and Capacity in Out-of-home care’, commonly referred to as the EQCO project. Ongoing engagement with the Ministry will determine the ECQO project’s full scope of data collection, research, training, and tools. Additionally, the OCC is committed to building and maintaining research relationships with educational institutions.

Knowledge sharing for improved outcomes
The OCC will continue hosting the highly anticipated annual conference that has previously been a joint project between the two founding associations. The OCC hosts regular education events, trainings and an updated website intend to provide a wealth of current information to members and the public. The OCC ensures that members are made aware of industry trends and changes through regular emails, newsletters, roundtable discussions, and town hall meetings.