Enhanced Youth Outreach Worker ProgramCall for Applications

This is an invitation to prospective applicants to submit applications for funding to develop and implement an Enhanced Youth Outreach Worker Program. This application package is issued by Her Majesty the Queen in right of Ontario as represented by the Minister of Children and Youth Services (the “ministry”).

Contents

Enhanced Youth Outreach Worker Program Call for Applications...................................1

1. Program Guidelines..................................................................................................2

1.1 Background............................................................................................................2

1.2 Initiative Overview...................................................................................................2

1.3 Desired Outcomes..................................................................................................3

1.4 Activities.................................................................................................................4

1.5 Costing and Funding..............................................................................................5

1.6 Beneficiary Population............................................................................................6

1.7 Collective Impact....................................................................................................6

1.8 Eligibility..................................................................................................................6

2. Application Process..................................................................................................7

2.1 Submitting an Application.......................................................................................7

2.2 Application Questions.............................................................................................7

2.3 Selection of Initiatives.............................................................................................7

2.4 Important Notes for Applicants...............................................................................9

Appendix A: Glossary of Terms.....................................................................................10

Appendix B: CI2 BYAP Guiding Principles......................................................................11

Appendix C: Application Template.................................................................................12

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Ontario Black Youth Action Plan

1. Program Guidelines

1.1 Background To help reduce outcomes disparities for Black children, youth, and families, Ontario released the Ontario Black Youth Action Plan (BYAP) in March 2017. The BYAP is a four-year, $47 million commitment that, when fully implemented, will support 10,800 Black children, youth and their families annually.

The BYAP will increase access to supports and opportunities for Black children, youth and their families in Ontario across life stages, from early childhood to the transition to school and / or work.

1.2 Initiative OverviewThe Youth Outreach Worker (YOW) Program equips and empowers at-risk / high-risk youth and their families to take action, improving their life outcomes. YOWs act as mentors, promote broader opportunities and supports for youth within communities, and advocate for the improvement of access to youth services. More specifically, YOWs:

Help youth and their families to identify and articulate their needs; Support youth through an evidenced-based process (Stages of Change model; refer

to Appendix A for definition) to make positive changes in their lives; Raise awareness about, and access to, local prevention and intervention resources

through information-sharing and referrals that respond to individual needs and risk factors and reinforce strengths; and,

Foster communication and linkages among community agencies / organizations to improve access and reduce barriers to services and supports.

The YOW Program, which is delivered across the province through various transfer payment agencies, was established in Toronto following increased gun violence in the summer of 2005. The Program has been expanded three times (2006, 2012 and 2015) to include additional high-needs communities across the province, improve the evidence-based outreach model of the Program, and to provide specialized, intensive supports for high-risk youth through the introduction of Enhanced YOWs. These expansions and additions to the Program were introduced as part of Ontario’s broader initiatives to improve outcomes for at-risk and high-risk youth. The YOW Program currently supports 114 YOWs in 12 communities across the province.

Building on the 2015 expansion which saw the introduction of Enhanced YOWs, funding will be provided for BYAP Enhanced YOWs, who will specifically serve high-risk youth who identify as Black. Like other Enhanced YOWs, BYAP Enhanced YOWs will provide intensive intervention and support, for example in the areas of mental health, addictions, trauma, relationship or family violence and / or human and sex trafficking etc.

BYAP Enhanced YOWs work as part of the YOW team and expand the continuum of services of the Program by providing intensive one-on-one support to high-risk Black youth ages 12 to 25 and their families to prevent youth from further risk / violence. High-risk youth are youth who may be experiencing challenges related to mental health,

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addictions, trauma, relationship violence, human / sex trafficking and / or may be involved in criminal activities; and who have been involved in specific incidents or conflicts (e.g., fight at school, interaction with the police, sibling in conflict with the law) that increase their risks.

BYAP Enhanced YOWs will work with Black youth to develop and enhance their identity, culture and sense of belongingness to their community as a protective factor in their movement through the stages of change. BYAP Enhanced YOWs will use culturally-specific approaches where appropriate to meet this expectation (e.g., connecting Black youth to mentors within their own communities / cultural group, encouraging youth to engage in cultural activities and events).

Information Only: BYAP Enhanced YOWs, like Enhanced YOWs will hold a Bachelor of Social Work and relevant experience, or Masters of Social Work, Counselling Psychology or equivalent and eligible for certification / membership in a registered professional association for practitioners in clinical therapy.

To help prevent youth violence and increase Ontario’s supports for Black at-risk youth, the Program will be targeted to addressing known geographic and service gaps for Black children, youth and their families in neighbourhoods across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, in Ottawa and Windsor.

BYAP Enhanced YOWs complement the community outreach, prevention and intervention work undertaken by the rest of the YOW Program, in order to build neighbourhood and community capacity to specifically engage and serve Black youth better. They work within the YOW Program in a variety of ways, such as participating in YOW training and the Community of Practice and utilizing the Outreach Record for reporting.

Information Only: Applicants selected to deliver BYAP Enhanced YOWs will be required to use the Stages of Change model (refer to Appendix A for definition) and its complementary web-based data collection tool, the Outreach Record database. The ministry will support training and tools on the Stages of Change model and Outreach Record database to all selected applicants. Program Expansion and Enhancement

1.3 Desired OutcomesThe intended program-level outcomes include (but are not limited to):

The Program seeks to improve outcomes for Ontario’s Black at-risk youth. The following Program-specific outcomes align with priority outcomes identified in Stepping Up: A Strategic Framework to Help Ontario’s Youth Succeed.

Objective #1: Promote youth and family engagement in their communities.

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Desired outcomes:

Youth participants are engaged in their communities; and, Youth participants have families and/or caring adults equipped to help them

thrive.

Objective #2: Facilitate better access for youth to services and pro-social opportunities. Desired outcomes:

Youth participants know about and easily navigate resources in their communities; and,

Youth participants make choices that support healthy and safe development.

Applicants are encouraged to suggest additional program outcomes in their application.

1.4 ActivitiesWorking as a part of the YOW team, the BYAP Enhanced YOW will:

Provide short-term, counselling and support services to Black youth in accordance with the Stages of Change intervention model adapted for the YOW Program.

Collaborate with the YOW network to identify Black youth who may require additional, more intensive services, and work with the YOW to align support services for individual Black youth.

Develop and oversee a short-term case management plan for Black youth clients, in partnership with the YOW, and support Black youth by:o Helping Black youth to identify their needs, goals, aspirations, skills and abilities

as well as barriers to accessing services;o Helping Black youth to build resiliency, pro-social skills and other protective

factors to address their various risk factors; o Helping Black youth who experience additional risk factors and challenges, such

as poor mental health due to anti-Black racism. o Helping Black youth to address the specific incidents / risk factors that may bring

them into conflict with peers, family, and / or the law;o Providing Black youth with general information, contacts, referrals and support as

needed to build assets and address needs (e.g., housing, employment, education, health care and recreation; social and emotional issues); and,

o Referring Black youth to appropriate services in the community, and supporting them to access these services.

Support parents and family members to help youth address their needs by providing short-term counselling, if needed, and referring parents and family members to other supports and services available in the community.

Maintain collaborative working relationships with other professionals within and outside of the organization.

In collaboration with YOW Supervisor and team: o Promote community awareness of the YOW Program and maintain a

recognizable community presence;o Identify emerging issues, service gaps and opportunities for action to build

community capacity; and,

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o Identify staff development / training needs and participate in staff development / training programs, as required.

Enter and maintain accurate and complete service data in the Outreach Record database in a timely manner.

Participate in training opportunities through the Outreach Record Learning Portal. Maintain professional and evidence-based standards of practice in accordance with

the Stages of Change intervention model, a positive youth development framework and relevant legislation (e.g., Child and Family Services Act, Youth Criminal Justice Act).

Carry out other duties as assigned as part of the Youth Outreach Worker Program.

Information Only: The Successful Applicant is required to participate at the YOW Community of Practice table (refer to Appendix A for definition), where YOW supervisors/managers meet to discuss best practices and lessons learned.

1.5 Costing and Funding

Costing

The ministry will fund selected applicants to hire and support (e.g., supervision, training, etc.) Enhanced YOWs will negotiate the terms for Program delivery.

While actual costs will be determined and negotiated with each selected applicant, the maximum amount of funding available is $80,100 per Enhanced YOW per full fiscal year (term of agreement will be negotiated with each selected applicant). It is anticipated the agreement will be executed on or around December 15, 2017.

Funding is provided annually. This includes funding for salary and benefits as well as administration and program supervision costs. The guiding framework for Program funding is as follows:

Per Enhanced YOW – Total Funding (per year) $82,100SalariesTotal gross salary & wage payments. Included in this account line are premium pay, overtime pay, vacation pay, and other direct monetary compensation paid to employees.

$60,000

BenefitsThe employer cost of all employee benefits. This account line includes mandatory benefits such as CPP, EI, EHT; etc.

$12,000

Administration and SupervisionThis includes agency and program administration, and supervision / training.

$8,100

One time Start-up CostsAllowance for the purchase of a tablet for use of the Enhanced YOW $2,000

Funding

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Applicants who are selected to receive funding (the lead applicant in cases of collaborative applications) will be required to enter into a Transfer Payment Agreement with the Ministry that will set out the terms and conditions for Program delivery and funding.

The term of agreement will be negotiated with the successful applicant.

1.6 Beneficiary PopulationEnhanced YOWs will focus efforts on high-risk Black1 youth aged 12-25, who face multiple barriers to success as described in Section 1.0 Program Overview.

Information Only: Successful applicants will be required to participate in Identity-based data collection (refer to Appendix A for definition).

Target Service Delivery Region The Program will be introduced or expanded in the following regions: Greater Toronto, Hamilton Area (includes Toronto, Hamilton, Peel, Durham and York) Windsor, Ottawa.

Catchment AreaApplicants will define a targeted geographical catchment area and / or identify a specific youth population within the Census Metropolitan Area where Program delivery will be focused to serve the most high-risk, high-needs Black youth.

Information Only: Selected applicants must demonstrate their understanding of the local need for the Program in their catchment area and be adaptable to changing targeted areas depending on future neighborhood needs.

1.7 Collective ImpactBYAP initiatives will be delivered using the Collective Impact and Cultural Identity (CI2) approach. Applicants must be willing to learn about and participate in this approach in order to be considered for funding. To learn more about the CI2 approach please see Appendix B.

1.8 EligibilityApplications should be completed by a coalition or a partnership of organizations. The lead organization is the signing organization on the government contract to

deliver the initiative. Initiative partners are the organizations responsible for working on one or many

elements of the initiative. Initiative partners can play a co-leadership, sponsorship or collaborative role.

To be eligible for consideration, all applications must meet the following criteria: 1. The lead organization applying for funding must be a legal entity;

1 The Ontario Black Youth Action Plan uses the definition of Black in its most inclusive sense to reflect the diverse ancestry, origins and ethnic identities of individuals of African and Caribbean descent. The term is based on self-identification, is not mutually exclusive and is used by Statistics Canada.

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2. A completed application form for the Program must be submitted by the application deadline; and

3. All elements of the application (Appendix C) must be completed.

2. Application Process

2.1 Submitting an ApplicationAll applications will include the following: One completed application template (Appendix C); and Two reference letters.

All materials associated with your application must be received by the Youth Strategies Branch, Ministry of Children and Youth Services no later than November 03 at 5:00pm.

Applications can be submitted to and will be accepted by: Email: jessica.evans2@ontario.ca Mail: Jessica Evans, 3rd Floor, 101 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON, M5S 3L7

2.2 Application QuestionsIf you have any questions about the application template, criteria, process etc. please email them to jessica.evans2@ontario.ca .

2.3 Selection of InitiativesAn inter-ministerial committee will review and assess the applications against the eligibility requirements (Section 1.8) and the criteria below to make recommendations for project funding.

Criteria WeightsSection 1: Organization Overview

Applicant has a plan to engage with or has assembled a coalition of partners and has articulated the distinct roles of each partner.

Applicant and / or one of its partners clearly indicate past experience in supporting improved outcomes for marginalized youth.

Applicant and partners demonstrate experience and willingness to engage in data collection and program evaluation (e.g., conducting surveys, collecting race-based data, etc.).

Applicant and partners have identified a willingness to learn about and participate in a CI2 approach as a condition of receiving funding.

20%

Section 2: Service Delivery Approach

Ability to deliver the services under the YOW Program

35%

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Criteria Weights Ability to identify potential risks and proposed mitigation strategies Approach to partnership and collaboration, including leveraging

existing partnerships and approach to new partnerships with diverse community partners

Section 3: Initiative Proposal Proposal clearly targets an outcome disparity for Black youth. Proposal demonstrates use of best practices, evidence, and

knowledge of local context. Proposal contains an explanation of how the program will support

the BYAP common agenda and guiding principles (see Appendix B).

Proposal indicates that the applicant is ready to deliver the initiative within the timelines.

Proposal includes strategies for involving youth served in decision-making of the program.

Proposal indicates how the initiative will be delivered in a culturally-focused way.

Proposal includes a plan to evaluate the impact of the program. Proposal identifies strategies to serve Black youth in the identified

catchment area.

35%

Section 4: Additional Information Organization meets eligibility requirements. Two letters of reference are provided:

Letter One: Demonstrates your organization’s connection to the community; and,

Letter Two: Outlines your organization’s capacity to benefit Black youth from their perspective.

10%

Section 5: Authorization Proposal contains a signed authorization.

N/A

Successful applications will be notified using the primary contact indicated in the application (Section 3).

2.4 Important Notes for ApplicantsPlease read the Program Guidelines (Section 1), Application Criteria (Section 2), and the Glossary (Appendix A) before submitting your application, as these sections contain important information.

Please use the Application Template (Appendix C) to complete your application. Please abide by the word limits indicated in the template.

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If you have any questions concerning the application and /or the process, please do not hesitate to contact Jessica Evans at jessica.evans2@ontario.ca .

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Appendix A: Glossary of Terms

Stages of Change Model: The Stages of Change model provides a framework for YOWs to observe and assess a young person’s readiness for change and offers stage-appropriate interventions to support positive outcomes. Knowledge of the Stages of Changes model is not a requirement for applying. More information on the model will be provided to successful applicants.

Community of Practice (COP): The COP is to facilitate the sharing of best practices across the province; identify opportunities to enhance program delivery; provide advice on other issues or trends impacting at-risk youth that may emerge over time; and contribute advice to the ministry on program improvements.

Identity-Based Data Collection: Identity-based data refers to the socio-demographic information about a person including, but not limited to, their gender, race, ethnicity and sexual orientation. Identity-Based Data will be collected by the Ministry of Children and Youth Services at a disaggregated level.

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Appendix B: CI 2 BYAP Guiding Principles

Guiding PrinciplesAll BYAP initiatives will adopt a common set of guiding principles. This set of guiding principles / conditions makes up an approach which, for the purposes of BYAP implementation, has been named CI2.

The Core CI2 principles are: Common Agenda: Organizations delivering BYAP initiatives work collaboratively on

a shared objective, which is to improve outcomes and reduce disparities for Black children, youth and their families.

Cross-Sector Collaboration: Organizations delivering BYAP initiatives partner with multiple sectors to advance and achieve the common agenda, including:o Public and broader public sector;o Multiple levels of government (i.e. municipal, provincial, federal);o Cultural agencies;o Community and not-for-profit sector agencies;o Private sector;o Funders;o Youth-led entities and youth themselves.

Cultural Identity Plan: BYAP initiatives embed conscious and inclusive practices and adaptations that reflect “promotive” and “protective” factors related to the concept of identity or feeling of belonging to a group. These “promotive” and “protective” factors should reflect a person’s self-conception and self-perception, related to nationality, ethnicity, religion, social class, generation, locality or any kind of social group that has its own distinct culture.

Data Literacy: Initiatives develop, collect, share and analyze data to measure progress and drive collective decision-making toward advancing and achieving the common agenda.

Black Children and Youth Empowerment: Initiatives prioritize listening to Black children and youth when making decisions and empower children and youth with tools and support they need to take action on their own behalf.

Community of Practice: Initiatives actively and regularly share best practices and learnings with initiative-specific and cross-initiative collaboratives.

Research and Evaluation: Initiatives actively track progress and apply learnings on the:o Impact of initiatives on the outcomes for Black children, youth and their families;

ando Effectiveness of the CI2 approach.

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Appendix C: Application TemplateContent in italics is explanatory and should be deleted in the final application.

Ontario Black Youth Action Plan (BYAP)Enhanced Youth Outreach Worker Program (YOW)

Application

Section 1: Organizational Overview (20%)

1a) Lead Organization Contact Information:This is the contact the ministry will use should your application be successful, so if possible, please provide a direct line to the key contact (i.e., extension number or cellular number).

Applicant Organization Name:Applicant Last Name:Applicant First Name:Position:Telephone Number:Email Address:Postal Code:Organization Website (if applicable):

1b) Lead Organization and / or Partner Organization Information (maximum 100 words):For example mandate / vision, any relevant historical background, relationships with community members and / or partners, community presence.

1c) Beneficiary Communities (maximum 500 words): Please indicate which BYAP catchment area the lead organization operates in, then list the specific communities within that catchment area your organization or partners benefit.

BYAP catchment area: Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (Toronto, Peel, Hamilton, Durham, York) Windsor Ottawa

Specific communities:

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a. The proposed geographic catchment area and / or youth population that will be served within the Target Service Delivery Region.

b. How the Program, as delivered by the applicant, will respond to the identified local needs, reduce risk factors and increase protective factors associated with youth violence within the proposed catchment area and / or population.

c. The number of Enhanced YOWs for which the applicant is requesting funding ().

d. A summary statement of how the applicant will deliver the Program, if selected, to the target youth and achieve the established outcomes.

1d) List and briefly describe any experience the organization has in delivering programs that improve outcomes for Black youth (100 words):

Please provide details of experience relevant to the program you are proposing to deliver, if possible.

1e) List and briefly describe any experience the organization has in collecting program data, conducting program evaluations, and changing program design / delivery based on evaluation results (i.e., how the organization measures, reports and shares program success and lessons learned) (100 words):

Please include an overview of the evaluation method used, the results of the evaluation, and how the results were used to improve your program or transform your organization.

1f) Please identify the plan to engage with partners that will be involved in delivering the program, and what the roles of the different partners will be (100 words):

Please include a bulleted list of the partners and their respective roles.

1g) Is the organization and its partners willing to learn about, and participate in, a CI2 approach (e.g., collaborating with other successful initiatives, sharing data, etc.)?

☐Yes ☐No

Section 2: Service Delivery Approach (35%)

2a) Please describe your Service Delivery Approach (500 words maximum)A description of the applicant’s proposed service delivery approach including:

a. A statement of the applicant’s proposed approach to service delivery to meet the Program’s outcomes for at-risk and high-risk Black youth in the Target Service Delivery Region and proposed catchment area and / or Black youth population.

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b. Potential risks to successful Program delivery and proposed mitigation strategies.

c. Proposed approach to partnership and collaboration, including leveraging existing partnerships and establishing new partnerships with diverse community partners to support effective Program delivery.

2b) Services to be Delivered and Delivery Plan (1,000 words maximum)A detailed description of the proposed services to be delivered and the delivery plan, if selected, that includes:

d. A description of the outreach that will be done to reach and engage the target youth, including leveraging existing activities in the community;

e. A description of the support services that will be provided to the target youth and how. Please delineate the specific services to be provided by the YOW versus Enhanced YOW, if applicable;

f. Targeted annual service volumes per requested position;

g. A description of the applicant’s expertise serving at-risk and high-risk youth in the Target Service Delivery Region and in building and delivering impactful community wellbeing initiatives. The description should use evidence;

i. A description of the how the Program will contribute to neighbourhood and community capacity building (as described in Section 1.0 Program Overview) in the proposed catchment area and / or youth population; and

ii. A description of how the applicant will support the YOW and / or Enhanced YOW to work collaboratively, build the scope of practice available to youth and connect with the province-wide YOW community.

Section 3: Initiative Proposal (35%)

3) Please describe your implementation plan (500 words maximum):An implementation plan describing the Program delivery milestones and expected timelines for the Program to be up-and-running, including:

Plan and timelines to have positions hired and trained; Plan and timelines for outreach and engagement strategy / activities; and Plan and timelines to establish / leverage community partners to support youth

and build community capacity.

The applicant should identify any existing assets that would be leveraged to support the implementation of the Program. These assets may include:

Office space (i.e., rent) or other physical resources; and Staff and in-house expertise.

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Please identify the implementation plan milestones to deliver the program using the table below: Milestone Start

DateEnd Date

Resources Required (e.g., financial, staffing, training, etc.)

Description of Activities

Section 4: Additional Information (10%)

4a) Please include two (2) reference letters, which: 1. Demonstrates your organization’s connection to the community; and the second

letter,2. Outlines your organization’s capacity to benefit Black youth from their

perspective.

Section 5: Authorization

I acknowledge, understand and agree that:a. The information given in support of this application is true, correct and complete in

every respect;b. The information contained herein can be used for the assessment of funding

eligibility;c. The information contained in this application, or submitted to the Ministry of Children

and Youth Services at any time, is subject to disclosure under the provincial Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act;

d. As a condition of and prior to receiving any funding pursuant to this application, the applicant will be required to execute a Transfer Payment Agreement outlining the terms and conditions relating to any funding and the Program to be delivered; and

e. Notwithstanding that the applicant has submitted a complete application and may have met all the eligibility and selection criteria, I acknowledge and agree that the applicant may not be selected to receive funding or may not receive the amount of funding identified in the budget.

Name, Position / Title of Authorized Signing Officer for the Applicant

__________________________________________

Signature Date

__________________________________________ __________________

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