Given the fact that people who require home care services are among the most vulnerable, it is important that people being sent to their own homes by government health care agencies be trustworthy and well trained. This begs the question of whether home care agencies competing to provide the CCACs with the lowest bid can afford to provide the sort of on-site monitoring PSWs would receive in a facility. CARP contacted the Toronto Central CCAC for a public statement on the reaction to the Toronto Star investigation and got this official response:
“On the front page of The Toronto Star this morning, there was an article regarding a Toronto Star Reporter who went under cover and received certification as a personal support worker (PSW) through a private training program. Through this private program, the reporter received no training and had bogus qualifications and references. The reporter then attempted to get a job with SRT MedStaff, which is one of the Toronto Central CCAC’s contracted service providers. SRT MedStaff did not hire this individual.
All agencies providing personal support services through Toronto Central CCAC have contracts with us that include strict standards that personal support agencies must meet regarding recruitment, qualifications, screening measures, ongoing training, supervision and quality of care. The contract standards are publicly available on the OACCAC website.
The article highlighted issues with one specific private college. However there are many excellent programs for personal support training available. Our contracted personal support agencies have strict hiring and screening practices, therefore, we are confident that our clients are receiving care from PSWs with the appropriate qualifications.
Both the CCAC and our service providers monitor the quality of services provided to our clients. CCAC monitoring includes reporting on incidences and complaints with investigation and follow up, as well as client satisfaction. We work with our clients on an ongoing basis to ensure the care they receive meets their needs and is being delivered in accordance with our standards for quality.
We encourage any clients and families who are concerned about their care to contact our CCAC any time.”
While the merits of the competitive bidding system are still under debate, one thing is clear: the Ministry of Universities, Training and Colleges has failed Ontarians. The Ministry is responsible for oversight and compliance; there exist today 400 registered Private Career Colleges. The Ontario Ombudsman’s Special Investigation Response Team has recently issued not one, but two reports severely criticizing the Ministry for its handling of these colleges. Click here to read Too Cool for School and Too Cool for School Too
The main finding is that despite the Ministry’s considerable enforcement powers, (which were enhanced when the Private Career Colleges Act, 2005 was proclaimed in 2006) the Ministry has consistently adopted an approach the Ombudsman dubs “always the carrot and not the stick”.
According to the reports, the Ministry’s passive attitude has led to some unmitigated disasters: this was the case with Bestech Academy Inc. a private college for gas technicians that provided deficient education to students, deliberately manipulated the system and flagrantly flouted the law when repeatedly asked to stop enrolling students and apply for registration.
