Advocacy
Thank you for your interest in OCSA's advocacy initiatives. Here, you will find policy papers and advocacy documents issued by OCSA, as well as information about the PSW profession and its impact on the home and community care sector.
OCSA has over 200 members in the not-for-profit home and community care sector, many of whom employ Personal Support Workers (PSWs) to deliver essential supports that contribute to bettering the quality of life for Ontarians.
The PSW profession is critical in helping to reduce hallway health care so that patients are able to be discharged safely from hospitals and return to their homes and communities where they want to live.
OCSA Policy Positions & Recommendations
Ontario relies on community health workers every day to treat illness, support mental health, provide care at home, help people live independently, and keep families well, and in many cases, they provide this care 24/7. They care for people of all ages and backgrounds, often with highly complex needs, and they are essential to achieving a sustainable and high performing healthcare system. Closing the wage gap is not simply about fairness; it is about protecting access to care, reducing system pressure, and ensuring Ontario ’ s healthcare investments deliver maximum impact. The ten provincial community health associations are committed to working collaboratively with the government to build a stable, sustainable community health workforce, which supports a stable and sustainable healthcare system, a goal we all share.
Toronto, ON – The Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA) welcomes the Government of Ontario’s announcement in the 2025 Fall Economic Statement of a $1.1 billion investment to protect and expand home care services. This significant commitment demonstrates government’s recognition of the vital role that home and community care plays in the province’s healthcare system. “The Ontario Community Support Association welcomes this significant investment in home care. Previous funding commitments have helped stabilize the sector, supporting a measurable reduction in staff turnover and fewer missed care visits. These improvements mean more Ontarians are receiving the care they need, when and where they need it. We encourage the government to continue to invest in programs like Hospital to Home and organizations that bring together home care, community support, and independent living services, which are essential to building a system that keeps people healthy, connected, and cared for at home.” — Lori Holloway, Chief Executive Officer, Ontario Community Support Association As the province looks ahead, OCSA stands ready to collaborate with the Ministry of Health and system partners to advance innovative models that integrate home care, community support, and independent living services. Together, these efforts will help build a sustainable, connected system that keeps people healthy and cared for at home. About the Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA) OCSA represents the full spectrum of organizations that deliver home and community support services across Ontario, helping people live independently and with dignity where they want to be—at home. Through advocacy, research, and member collaboration, OCSA works to strengthen the sector and build a more connected, person-centered health system. Media Contact: Karla Sealy Ontario Community Support Association Email: karla.sealy@ocsa.on.ca Website: www.ocsa.on.ca
With Ontario’s senior population expected to nearly double by 2046, the need for coordinated, community-based care has never been more urgent. OCSA’s latest policy paper outlines a practical roadmap for scaling Healthy Ageing Community Hubs—integrated models that deliver health, social, and housing supports to help older adults age safely at home. The paper identifies six key policy recommendations: integrated and flexible funding, expansion of existing models, streamlined regulation, digital health integration, empowered local leadership, and province-wide service mapping. These hubs are already demonstrating improved outcomes—from reduced hospital use to higher client satisfaction—but scaling them requires system-level action. This paper is a call to policymakers, health system leaders, and community organizations to build on what works.
October, 2022 - The Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA) has published a brief paper Paths Worth Exploring: Four promising practices that integrate Home and Community Care with Primary Care . This paper looks at examples of the integration of Home and Community Care with Primary Care, and highlights a few interesting collaborations. Some of the positive outcomes identified include: A 100% reduction in one client’s ED visits and hospitalizations, compared to the 24 months prior, due to Primary Care Integration with Supportive Housing for those with Acquired Brain Injuries The delivery of nearly 10,000 in-home visits per year, leading to over 1,100 fewer hospital admissions and hospitals days under the multi-agency Senior Care House Calls program We invite you to download the full paper above.
About PSWs
PSWs provide services and direct care to individuals in hospitals, long-term care homes, group homes, retirement homes, supportive living environments and in the client’s home. They work with clients who have a broad spectrum of conditions and health care needs. Services may be provided on a temporary or continuing basis.
PSWs Roles
Examples of the functional tasks performed by PSWs are, but not limited to:
Activities of daily living (ADL)
Personal care (bathing, feeding, dressing, toileting), transferring (walking), light housekeeping and child care.
Clinical care services
Measuring a client’s blood pressure, temperature or pulse, or taking specimens.
Instrumental activities of daily living (IADL)
Menu planning, shopping, meal prep, providing transportation or accompanying clients, educational and recreational assistance.
Delegated acts
Administration of suppositories, colonic irrigations, enemas (bowel disimpaction), or medications; maintaining inventories; and supervising exercise routines.
Personal support work is unique among health professions in that the scope of the PSW’s duties does not extend beyond what the client could do him/herself, if the client were physically/cognitively able. No other profession’s scope is similarly described.
As such, personal support is not a subset of another profession. Rather it includes skills and abilities performed by many other professions, but always within the overall scope of what the client would/could do if able to do the function.
Personal Support Network of Ontario (PSNO)
OCSA has long been an advocate of PSWs in many different ways. The work of Personal Support Workers is essential to making Ontario’s health care system function.
PSWs need to be recognized for the outstanding contributions they make every day supporting clients at home, in long term care homes and other settings. PSWs are stronger together and can make a difference!
Overview
Created specifically for PSWs, PSNO provided access to information, resources and tools to help PSWs do their job better, with more confidence.
The mission of the PSNO helped personal support service professionals carry out their work more effectively by offering access to information, resources and tools as well as providing opportunities to connect with a network of professionals in the field. We created an environment to share information and bring issues forward as well as the promotion of best practices and high performance in the workplace.
PSNO built a strong, cooperative personal support service sector where providers, managers, trainers and employees were equal contributors to strengthening the profession.
Personal Support Worker Day
PSW Day is held every year on May 19. PSWs are the backbone of the health system and approximately 35% of all PSWs in Ontario work in the home and community sector, delivering a range of vital services that reduce the need for more expensive hospital care, emergency room visits, or long-term care. They benefit individual clients, their caregivers, and the health care system as a whole.
OCSA's not-for-profit members
employ thousands of PSWs across the province and we thank them for the amazing work they do supporting Ontarians every day.
Work for life
Ontario Community Support Association, Home Care Ontario and the Government of Ontario have partnered and rolled out a Health Human Resources recruitment campaign focused on raising awareness about the opportunities and benefits of becoming a Personal Support Worker (PSW).
On their site you’ll find information on the opportunities available in the personal support industry, how easy it is to find work, and the meaningful impact you will have in people’s lives as a PSW. For more information - visit the website: www.workforlife.ca
Up-to-date Resources
Up-to-date Resources
For up-to-date information, support and resources on PSWs and their career options, please check out workforlife.ca.
