SESSION DETAILS

OPENING KEYNOTE: Stronger Together: Turning Collective Power into Purpose, sponsored by SafeGuards

This keynote explores how the newly formed Ontario Care Collective can harness its collective strength to collaborate, advocate, and achieve meaningful, shared goals. Through compelling stories, interactive engagement, and actionable strategies, Janeen Halliwell will share insights on uniting diverse voices, motivating participation, and building momentum. Grounded in the purpose that brings everyone together—care—this session is a call to action to fully realize the power and potential of the Collective.

Janeen Halliwell, co-founder of People Minded Business (PMB), began her career in the late 1980s supporting children, youth, and adults with developmental disabilities in Toronto. With over 35 years of experience, she has played a key role in leading transformative disability initiatives in Alberta and BC before returning to Ontario in 2012. While in BC, Janeen led a social enterprise commissioned by the provincial Ministry to develop standards of care following the closure of institutions in the late 1990s—work that included supports in family and group living homes. She engaged service providers in the development of the standards and visited 100s of homes, providing her with a clear understanding and appreciation for the all-encompassing work of service providers.

Upon returning to Ontario, Janeen turned her focus to strategy, innovation, and organizational development in the human services sectors. Under her leadership, PMB has grown into a team of nine and has worked with over 100 organizations across Ontario, including provincial membership bodies like the Ontario Care Collective.

Janeen holds a Master’s in Leadership and Organizational Learning, and has taught at two universities on these subjects. Her passion lies in facilitating inclusive, structured group conversations that inspire purposeful action and lead to the co-creation of better lives for all involved.

Medicine Bag Workshop

Presented by:  Marc Forgette, Makatew Workshops

This hands-on workshop invites participants to create their own traditional medicine bag while learning about its cultural and spiritual importance. Teachings include the medicine wheel, respectful terminology, the legacy of residential schools, and the difference between cultural appropriation and appreciation.

As part of the learning, participants also explore the significance of land acknowledgments—why they matter, how to deliver them meaningfully, and how they connect to Indigenous worldview and reconciliation. This workshop offers a safe space for reflection, dialogue, and cultural understanding."

Navigating Support: Housing and Services for Adults With a Developmental Disability

This session will provide an overview of Developmental Services Ontario, including how individuals can apply and access key services such as the Passport Program. We will also explore the role of Housing Navigators, highlighting how they support individuals with developmental disabilities in creating housing plans, particularly through initiatives that operate outside of ministry-funded services.

The presentation will outline the collaborative relationship Ottawa maintains with Ontario-Prioritized Residential Service Providers (OPRs) and include some regional statistics. Additionally, we will share current housing navigation projects, innovative approaches, and recent success stories to illustrate progress and impact in the field.

Olivia Thomas is a housing navigator for Developmental Services Ontario Eastern Region.  Olivia has worked in this social services field for over 30 years, as a front line worker, assessor and case manager.    Olivia strives to work with families to think outside of Ministry funded supports and to thread together available resources.  She is passionate about housing and inclusion for people with a developmental disability and bringing people together through hosting family groups, lunch and learns and in-person events to speak about housing opportunities.  Recently Olivia was a part of the successful move of 10 individuals with a developmental disability into an apartment building, where the individuals signed their own lease, received a COHB and have been living independently with success.  Olivia is busy chasing up the next opportunity that may present in the DSO-Eastern Region.

 

Supporting the Mental Health of People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) and Mood Disorders, sponsored by SafeGuards

Presented by:  Leah Jeffrey, MSW, RSW

This workshop explores effective strategies and best practices for supporting individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) who also experience mood disorders such as depression or bipolar disorder. It highlights the unique challenges faced by this population in diagnosis, communication, and access to care, and emphasizes the importance of integrated, person-centered mental health support. Participants will learn about early signs of mood disorders in people with IDD, adapted therapeutic approaches, and the role of caregivers, clinicians, and community services in fostering mental well-being.

Leah Jeffery, MSW, RSW, one of SafeGuards trainers, is a Clinical Manager in the developmental services sector, a part-time professor in the Inter-professional Mental Health program at Georgian College, and a Board Member of the Ontario Association on Developmental Disabilities. With over 20 years of experience in the human services field, Leah specializes in complex trauma, mental health, and developmental disabilities.

She has delivered training and consultation across Ontario on topics including trauma and trauma-informed care, dual diagnosis, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and mental health, and has presented at provincial conferences across Canada. Leah is deeply passionate about equipping and empowering professionals to better support individuals living with mental health challenges, trauma histories, and developmental disabilities.

 

Supporting Advocacy for Individuals with Support Needs Using Data-Driven Decision Making

Presented by:  Bailey Scherbak and Nicole Klobucar, Monarch House

Advocacy for individuals with support needs is most effective when grounded in clear, data-informed strategies. This presentation explores how everyday data sources—such as sleep logs, daily journals, and behavior tracking—can be transformed into meaningful, quantifiable insights to support advocacy efforts. Attendees will learn practical approaches to identifying and utilizing existing data to build strong, evidence-based cases for change or continued support. Emphasis will be placed on measuring quality of life through key indicators including individual engagement, reductions in maladaptive behavior, decreases in restrictive procedures, and overall social validity. This session will empower professionals, caregivers, and advocates with tools to translate lived experience and observational data into compelling advocacy narratives that truly reflect the needs and progress of those they support.

Bailey Scherbak, is a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst and Registered Behaviour Analyst based in Toronto and Regional Director of Monarch House in Ontario. With over 15 years of of experience in diverse settings including inpatient hospitals, schools, group living environments, community spaces, and clinics. Since 2011, she has specialized in supporting individuals with complex behaviours and their families live the best life they can. As the Regional Director for Monarch House, Bailey collaborates with clinics and community teams across Ontario to build high-performing teams and ensure top-quality service delivery. Her special interests include advocating for equitable access to services for underserved populations, and building safe work environments for both team members and people served.

Nicole Klobucar is a Registered Behaviour Analyst with over a decade of experience in the developmental sector, supporting individuals with developmental disabilities and mental illness across the lifespan, including those presenting with unsafe behaviours. She has delivered behavioural services in clinics, homes, day programs, and group homes and presented workshops to families and teams. Nicole is deeply committed to providing high-quality, person-centered services that empower individuals to lead meaningful lives. She emphasizes collaboration with individuals and their support networks to target socially significant goals that enhance overall quality of life—including communication, social skills, personal care, domestic responsibilities, vocational development, and sexual education.

 

The Ready Set Go Program and Transitional Planning Conferences for Youth

Presented by:  Kathryn Rock, Manager of Family Group Conferencing Toronto, George Hull Centre

Research demonstrates that youth living in CAS care frequently experience negative outcomes in comparison to their non-care peers.  Concern about this research led the MCCSS to review the supports offered to youth transitioning from care and address these needs through the Policy Directive ‘Preparing Youth for Successful Transition from the Care of Children’s Aid Societies’.  This presentation will provide an overview of the core features of the Ready Set Go Program introduced on April 1, 2023 with a focus on the development and implementation of Transitional Planning Conferences. Participants will learn how to support youth to request a Transitional Planning Conference, understand their role in the process and know what to expect from the three phases of Transitional Planning Conferences.  

Kathryn Rock is the Manager of Family Group Conferencing Toronto an Alternate Dispute Resolution program with the George Hull Centre. She is also a rostered Family Group Conference Coordinator and Transitional Planning Coordinator. Kathryn has extensive experience as a senior leader in the private sector, Children’s Mental Health, Child Welfare and Youth Justice. She has expertise in new service development and evaluation, leadership coaching and mentoring and strives to create inclusive and equitable work environments. As a creative problem solver, she has led transformation and business planning process that foster innovation and collaboration. Kathryn is also a Board Director for Children’s Mental Health Ontario and the Vice-Chair for the Adoption Council of Ontario Board.

Understanding and Responding to Sex Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation

Presented by:  Kaitlyn Ranasinghe, Program Manager at BridgeNorth

In this session, providers will build their understanding of sex trafficking and sexual exploitation, particularly as it impacts youth. The session will dive into what sex trafficking and sexual exploitation are, how they happen, where they are taking place and who they impact. Attendees will further explore the stages of exploitation and how to identify youth in each stage. The session will conclude with an introductory discussion on strategies and best practices for supporting impacted youth.

Kaitlyn Ranasinghe is the Program Manager at BridgeNorth. She has been involved in anti-trafficking advocacy for many years and turned this passion into a career when she began working in the field in 2017. She dedicated her education to the issue, has experience conducting research on human trafficking and anti-human trafficking efforts, working with and providing support to survivors of human trafficking, as well as public education and advocacy. Her work at BridgeNorth involves building and maintaining the infrastructure needed to run their programs for vulnerable and trafficked youth as well as overseeing their prevention education programming, conducting public education and providing training to service providers across Ontario on understanding, identifying, and working with trafficked and exploited youth. Kaitlyn is dedicated to building and sharing knowledge that inspires structural and systemic change at all levels to help fight and prevent human trafficking in Canada.

 

Bill 188, Supporting Children's Futures Act, 2024 – Part II: Overview of Upcoming Changes to the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017

Presented by:  Lisa Corrente, Torkin, Manes LLP 

Bill 188, Supporting Children's Futures Act, 2024 has resulted in sweeping amendments to the Ministry’s enforcement powers under the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2021. Lisa Corrente of Torkin Manes LLP is returning for the second part of her series on the upcoming legislative changes including compliance orders, restraining orders, management orders, orders to return funds, administrative monetary penalties, Director’s referrals, higher fines and the new review and appeal process.  Operators will gain valuable insight into the new regulatory framework and how they can prepare their operations for these important changes.

Lisa Corrente is a partner in the Litigation Department at Torkin Manes LLP. As part of the firm’s Health Law Group, she advises and represents healthcare facilities and health professionals. Lisa provides assistance to long-term care homes, retirement homes, group homes, treatment foster homes and other residential care facilities and their staff members.  Lisa advises and represents these clients with respect to ministry inspections and compliance matters; licensing issues; Directors’ reviews and appeals; responding to complaints, including professional complaints and discipline proceedings; civil litigation; dealing with CAS verification decisions; employment and human rights matters; tenancy disputes; privacy and requests for access to information; and the resolution of issues concerning residents and their family members. 

In 2018, Lisa acted as counsel to a long-term care operator at the Gillese Public Inquiry.  Since March 2020, Lisa has been assisting long-term care homes and other congregate living settings with matters relating to COVID-19, including with respect to the Long-Term Care COVID-19 Commission. 

Lisa is the past chair of the Ontario Bar Association’s health law section and the Canadian Bar Association’s national health law section.  She is also a recipient of the Ontario Bar Association’s Susan Hillary Davidson Memorial Award for Excellence in Health Law.   Lisa has been recognized for her work in health law by both Best Lawyers and Who’s Who Legal.  As well, Lisa remains actively involved in Pro Bono Ontario’s legal clinic at Sick Kids Hospital through which she provides free legal services to the families of children at Sick Kids, an initiative which she helped establish in 2009.   

Succession as Success

Presented by:  Penny Gagnon, Chief Advisor at CARF Canada

This workshop offers a dynamic overview of building a culture of “Succession as Success.” Too often, organizations do not prioritize succession planning and only address it when faced with unexpected emergencies or other unwelcomed requirements. This presentation emphasizes the significance of succession planning within the context of organizational development and sustainability building on five key themes. These five themes will form the integrated approach creating “Succession as Success. Participants will have the opportunity to evaluate themselves in relation to the themes, identify organizational strengths, pinpoint areas for improvement, and begin the process of developing their own succession plan. Emphasizing the importance of proactive and responsive succession planning, this workshop aims to motivate organizations to take action and foster resilience through their planning efforts.

Penny Gagnon, M.A., is the Chief Advisor at CARF Canada, bringing over 20 years of executive leadership experience in health and human services. She specializes in advancing organizational excellence through strategic planning, person-centred approaches, quality assurance, and performance-driven environments. Penny is known for building strong, partner-focused relationships and fostering cultures of learning, collaboration, and ethical practice. Her work is grounded in evidence-based methods and continuous quality improvement, with a deep commitment to inspiring others and driving meaningful, sustainable change.

 

Best Support for Our Best Resource: Our Employees

Presented by:  Paul Wheeler – CSBT Chair Emeritus, Community Services Benefits Trust

In 2025 Community Service organizations have important resources which they expend considerable time and energy to maintain. However, all the computers, vehicles, buildings, and furniture don’t get the real work done. In this presentation, Paul Wheeler, who spent 40 years leading various community social service organizations, asserts that today’s agencies only have one real resource, their employees. Those employees, through their interactions with and support of vulnerable people, are the change agents on which the agencies rely. Through them, people who come to the agency are supported to develop the lives they want, in the community, and on their own terms. Despite their centrality, these employees never earn all they’re worth. Worse than that, in these very challenging times they are more likely to battle mental health issues while they personally struggle to ensure life is positive for themselves and their families. Paul’s presentation will explore the employer’s responsibility to provide the supports that are most likely to enhance the lives of those employees through a leading-edge benefits program. It will help employers consider what components are most important and the ways to tackle affordability in times of fiscal restraint.

In his 40-year career providing leadership to not-for-profit community service agencies, Paul Wheeler was consistently concerned that employees in this sector receive the benefits and training necessary for them to provide the best support to the vulnerable people each agency existed to serve. During his last 15 years as Executive director of Semiahmoo House Society, he collaborated with colleagues and benefits specialists to form and launch CSBT as part of this commitment. In retirement, and while consulting, Paul works with others to ensure CSBT continues to evolve as the best benefits answer for both employers and their employees.

MCCSS Update on Journey To belonging: Choice and Inclusion

Presented by:  Christine Kuepfer, Director, Community Services Division, MCCSS 

The ministry will present the Journey to Belonging vision, work to date and future looking aspects of the Developmental Services Reform.