OASIS Member Survey 2004 REPORT

1. OASIS Member Survey 2004REPORT Prepared for: OASIS Board of Directors Prepared by: Ms. Terry Green Insights Inc. Date: September 2004

2. Table of Contents The Research • Background and Research Objectives 4 • Methodology 5 Research Findings • Current Situation • Overall Member Profile 8 • Clients 9 • Volunteers 14 • Staffing 15 • Organization 21 • Finance 22 • Future Services 27 Appendices Sample Questionnaire Full Tabulation of Results Insights Inc. 519·679·0110 September 2004

3. Description of the Research

4. Background and Research Objectives • OASIS was formed six years ago to provide practical, operational assistance to member organizations from the developmental service fields in Ontario. • The OASIS Board of Directors commissioned Insights to conduct a confidential mail survey of its members in the spring of 2004. The objectives for the research were twofold: • to develop an accurate picture of the state of services and operations for those in the developmental service fields in Ontario (including persons supported, staffing, volunteers and budgets), and • to receive input from members regarding agency supports and training topics that might be addressed by OASIS in the future. Insights Inc. 519·679·0110 September 2004

5. Methodology • Insights worked with ON Communications and OASIS Board members to develop the written survey tool. The survey included a covering letter from the OASIS Board of Directors outlining the purpose of the survey and the use of the results. A copy of the survey is included in the appendix. • The survey was mailed, by OASIS, to all 92 member agencies in May of 2004. Completed surveys were mailed directly to Insights to maintain the confidentiality of individual agency responses. • Insights received and tabulated a total of 49 responses, for an overall response rate of 53%, including 29 ACL’s, 17 non-ACL agencies, and 3 agencies that did not identify themselves. The mix of responding agencies by region is shown below. Distribution of Responding Agencies, by Region * NOTE: In one case, the respondent did not indicate region Insights Inc. 519·679·0110 September 2004

6. Methodology • Complete results are included in the full tabulation of results (see appendix) with cross tabs by region, number of people supported, staff size, budget. • A sample of 49, from a total population of 92, has a range of error of plus or minus 8%, at worst, nine times out of ten. The full tabulation identifies whether statistical differences exist between the specific sub-samples for each question. • The reader should note that one agency was so large in terms of budget, staff and people served that it tended to skew the averages in quantitative questions. To avoid misrepresenting the typical OASIS member agency, the answers to many quantitative questions are shown both with and without this agency. • In the tables that follow, findings are based on the number of agencies that chose to respond to that particular question … which, in some cases, is but a subset. Insights Inc. 519·679·0110 September 2004

7. Research Results

8. Overall Member Agency Profile Overall Member Profile • The table to the right captures the mix of member agencies that participated in the research, by number of people served, total staff FTE’s and total budget. • Each of these areas -- people served, staffing and budget are explored in more detail in subsequent sections of the report. Participating Agency Profile (Based on base of 49 – those who did not rely)* *Read as, “13 (29%) of the participating agencies supported less than 100 people”. Insights Inc. 519·679·0110 September 2004

9. Current Situation - Clients Total Number of People Supported • The average number of people served by member agencies was 499 (or 364 when the largest agency is omitted), including an average of 79 under residential care (66 when largest is omitted). • ACL agencies served a larger number of clients, on average, than non-ACL agencies. • Not surprisingly, numbers served tracked with agency size measured in terms of staff numbers and budget. Insights Inc. 519·679·0110 September 2004

10. Current Situation - Clients Regional Waiting List • The chart below captures the incidence of having a regional waiting list. Of the 49 responding agencies (100%) 32 (65%) did have a regional waiting list 17 (35%) did not have a regional waiting list 22 (45% of all responding agencies) had a regional waiting list and knew who they were. (69% of those who had a waiting list knew who they were.) 3 (6% of all responding agencies) had a regional waiting list, but did not reply to second question. (9% of those who had a waiting list did not reply to second question. 7 (14% of all responding agencies) had a regional waiting list but did not know who they were. (22% of those who had a waiting list did not know who they were.) Insights Inc. 519·679·0110 September 2004

11. Current Situation - Clients Community Waiting List Profile • The chart below captures information regarding the community waiting list. • About Transitional Funding • 40% of agencies received funding to assist children transitioning into adult care, 20% said it was available but they did not receive it, and the remaining 40% said it was not available to them. • Less than 5% received funding to assist with people transitioning into senior support, and only 11% said it was available in their region. Insights Inc. 519·679·0110 September 2004

12. Current Situation - Clients Single Point of Access • Overall, 61% of responding agencies said there was a separate agency acting as a single point of across in their area, but this was true for only 47% of ACL agencies compared to 82% of non-ACL agencies. • Among the 28 OASIS agencies served by a single point of access, very few gave high scores to the extent to which this system had made it easier or faster for people to get the services they needed. In fact, only: • 21% said it made it easier for people to get the services they needed, • 11% said it had reduced waiting time, • 7% said it had reduced the size of the waiting list. Extent to which single point of access agency helped in various ways (n=28) 21% felt it helped made it easier for people to get services they need 11% reduced waiting time 7% reduced size of waiting list Insights Inc. 519·679·0110 September 2004

13. Current Situation - Clients Capital Relocation Process • Of the 45 agencies that provided a response, nine had participated in the Capital Relocation Process. However, • only 2 of those 9 participants said the process had been somewhat effective as a way of addressing the needs of people on the waiting lists, and • 7 of the 9 said the process had not been effective (5 gave the lowest rating of ‘not at all effective’). Insights Inc. 519·679·0110 September 2004

14. One agency had zero Board volunteers and five agencies had zero non-Board volunteers. Total volunteer numbers grew with the size of the organization, but Board volunteer numbers remained fairly consistent across agencies of all sizes. Half the agencies reported some level of difficulty recruiting Board members, with 15% saying that it was ‘very difficult’. There appeared to be somewhat less difficulty in Board member retention, with none saying it was ‘very difficult’. Average Number of Volunteers Current Situation - Volunteers Attracting and Keeping Volunteers Attracting and Keeping Board Members 54% had difficulty 38% Insights Inc. 519·679·0110 September 2004

15. Current Situation - Staffing Average Staffing Levels • Among the 43 agencies providing a response to questions around staff FTE: • 24 (56%) had less than 100 FTE on staff, • 12 (28%) had 100 - 199 FTE on staff, and • 7 (16%) had 200 or more FTE on staff. Staffing Profile Insights Inc. 519·679·0110 September 2004

16. The table to the right shows a relatively equal distribution of average front line wages above and below the average of $15.98 per hour. The Southwest area (at $15.43) had the lowest wage and Central West (at $16.85) had the highest. Average Wages for Front Line Staff (n=47) Average Wage $15.98 Percent with average front line wage < $15 / hr 21% $15 - $16.99 / hr 53% $17+ / hr 26% Current Situation - Staffing Staff Wages Insights Inc. 519·679·0110 September 2004

17. Current Situation - Staffing Attracting and Keeping Staff • Member agencies appeared to have a fair bit of difficulty recruiting front line staff -- with 3 in 10 saying recruitment was ‘very difficult’ and a total of 7 in 10 say it was ‘very or somewhat difficult’ to recruit. Half experienced retention challenges. • The recruitment and retention of administrative staff posed much less of a challenge, with only 2 in ten saying recruitment was ‘very or somewhat difficult”. • The table on the next page captures the extent to which various factors had an impact on staff recruitment and retention efforts. The totals circled represent the total who said that factor had a “very or somewhat negative impact”. Wages, retirement packages, opportunities for advancement and competition from other providers seemed to pose the greatest challenge. FRONT LINE STAFF 71% had difficulty 57% ADMIN STAFF 22% 4% Insights Inc. 519·679·0110 September 2004

18. Current Situation - Staffing Extent to Which Various Factors Impact Ability to Recruit and Retain Staff 82% very + somewhat negative Opportunities for advancement in your agency 69% Wages you pay 66% Availability of retirement packages 68% Employment opportunities available from other providers 39% Challenges associated with people being supported 29% Benefits you offer 27% Provision of ongoing training opportunities 20% Physical work environment 16% Attitude or feeling in the workplace Insights Inc. 519·679·0110 September 2004

19. Financial Management (n=47) All/Most 28% Current Situation - Staffing Portion of Front Line Staff That Has Received Various Kinds of Training • When it came to budgeting for training programs, • seven in ten agencies had taken money from other budget lines to provide mandatory training, and • half said they were able to offer at least some non-mandatory training opportunities. • The extent to which front line staff had received various kinds of training is captured in pie charts on this page and the next page. Meal Preparation (n=47) All/Most 38% Insights Inc. 519·679·0110 September 2004

20. CPI (n=49) All/Most 94% Behaviour Management (n=47) All/Most 36% Current Situation - Staffing Portion of Front Line Staff That Has Received Various Kinds of Training WHMIS (n=48) Meds Admin (n=48) All/Most 83% All/Most 98% Health & Safety (n=47) First Aid / CPR (n=49) All/Most 96% All/Most 81% Insights Inc. 519·679·0110 September 2004

21. Current Situation - Organization Percent of Agencies Involved in Various Organizational Activities • The table to the right captures the percent of member agencies engaging in various corporate and staffing strategies. Insights Inc. 519·679·0110 September 2004

22. Current Situation - Finance Total Base Budget • The table below captures the average base budget for all respondents, including and excluding the largest respondent, for the total sample and by various other organizational characteristics. Average Base Budget (millions of $) by Various Agency Size Characteristics Insights Inc. 519·679·0110 September 2004

23. The table to the right captures the portion of member agency budgets by source. 29 expected a break even situation, and 20 projected a deficit for the year ending March 31, 2004. Only 6 of the 20 projecting a deficit received additional Ministry funding to balance the budget. 8 of the 49 agencies had an accumulated debt from previous years and this debt ranged from $100,000 to over $1 Million. Only two of the eight with a previous debt predicted a break even for the current year. Reasons for the accumulated debt included: under funding of high needs clients (8 of 8) no pay equity (4 of 8) no revitalization from other Ministries or Municipalities (2 of 8) changes in provincial fire codes (1 of 8) Total Base Budget – By Source* *Note: Of the 43 agencies that responded, 20 had clients identified for individualized funding under the DH allocation process. Agencies who had such clients had an average of six in total. Current Situation - Finance Budget Facts Insights Inc. 519·679·0110 September 2004

24. Current Situation - Finance Budget Facts • 43 of the 48 agencies that responded had received Pay Equity Funding from the Ontario government as a result of the Pay Equity settlement. Of the 35 who commented on the impact of this settlement, all said it would meet their obligations to March 31, 2005. • All of the 48 agencies who replied said they had applied for and received Revitalization Funding from the Ontario government. Two thirds said it had been helpful in retaining staff (25% said ‘very helpful’ and 38% said ‘somewhat helpful’). The remaining third said it had not been helpful in this regard. • Only three of the agencies fell under the HLDAA (Hospital Labour Dispute Arbitration Act), and only one said they had annualized such an award into its service contract, and further said it would allow it to meet its obligations under HLDAA. • The bar chart on the next page captures the extent to which agencies used various tactics to maintain their financial viability. Note that agencies were more likely to take actions that affected the agency and its staff, by: • delaying capital improvements and repairs, • increasing fund raising efforts, • increasing caseload per program or staff person, and • reducing administrative staff, and least likely to take actions that would directly impact the people they served such as: • reducing or cutting programs, and • reducing front line staff. Insights Inc. 519·679·0110 September 2004

25. Current Situation – Finance Extent to Which Agency Used Various Tactics to Maintain Financial Viability 67% did this ‘very much or somewhat’ Delayed capital improvements or repairs (n=46) 59% Increased fund raising efforts (n=46) 70% Increased caseload per program or per staff person (n=46) 64% Reduced admin staff (n=47) 51% Increased number of part-time positions (n=47) 37% Reduced front line staff (n=49) 20% Reduced or cut programs (n=45) Insights Inc. 519·679·0110 September 2004

26. Current Situation - Finance Participation in Various Financial and Risk Management Strategies Insights Inc. 519·679·0110 September 2004

27. Future Services Perceived Benefits of Assistance OASIS Could Offer Members • OASIS was also interested in exploring the appeal of other programs and services that it could its members. As captured in detail on the next page: • Financial management was perceived as having the least potential benefit. • All other ideas were perceived to have at least some benefit for three quarters of the respondents, and a quarter to a third said the remaining ideas would be very beneficial. • Scores were fairly consistent across all types and sizes of agencies. However, the smaller agencies tended to see somewhat greater benefit in programs related to human resource management, staff training, staff evaluation, and board orientation. • The response for each idea is captured in chart format on the following, grouped by ‘government’, ‘board / strategic’, ‘HR / staffing’, and ‘financial’. Insights Inc. 519·679·0110 September 2004

28. Future Services Perceived Benefits of Assistance OASIS Could Offer Members 86% said beneficial Government relations / accessing Ministry funds (n=48) Gov’t 81% Training programs for staff (n=47) 73% Recruitment and retention of staff (n=48) 75% HR / Staffing Labour relations (n=47) 80% Staff evaluation forms and procedures (n=49) 76% Human resources management (n=49) Insights Inc. 519·679·0110 September 2004

29. Future Services Perceived Benefits of Assistance OASIS Could Offer Members 75% said beneficial Strategic planning or development of a business plan (n=47) 75% A Board orientation program (n=47) Board / Strategic 79% Board development (n=47) 72% Development of policies (n=47) 48% Financial management (n=48) Finance Insights Inc. 519·679·0110 September 2004

30. Future Services Likelihood of Using OASIS Led Employee Recruitment and Benefit Programs • The next slide captures the likelihood of member agencies using various OASIS led employee recruitment and benefit programs. • Establishing standards for recruitment, screening and educational standards for staff drew the most positive reaction. • Joint retirement plans and benefit programs were not as appealing overall, but, not surprisingly, had greater appeal to the agencies with fewer than 100 staff and those without such programs -- and these were likely the same agencies. Insights Inc. 519·679·0110 September 2004

31. Future Services Likelihood of Using OASIS Led Employee Recruitment and Benefit Programs 69% were likely A definition of minimum educational standards for all positions (n=48) Standard recruitment / screening criteria for: 69% Staff (n=49) 65% Volunteers (n=49) 65% Student placements (n=49) 41% A group retirement / pension plan (n=49) 49% An employee benefits plan (n=49) Insights Inc. 519·679·0110 September 2004

32. Future Services Perceived Importance for OASIS to Develop Various Programs or Services • Finally, respondents were asked to rate the perceived importance of OASIS developing programs related to mentoring of senior staff and common sources of professional services. As shown on the next page, all four ideas were perceived by the majority as being ‘very or somewhat’ important. • Four in ten gave top scores of ‘very important’ to: • mentoring for new executive directors (and this high number was driven by the high importance scores among ACL agencies), • operational support teams drawn from experienced staff at other agencies, and • the opportunity to access a common legal firm with appropriate expertise. • One quarter said the establishment of a relationship with a professional recruitment agency to support searches for senior staff was ‘very important’. Insights Inc. 519·679·0110 September 2004

33. Future Services Perceived Importance for OASIS to Develop Various Programs or Services 92% saw it as important An Executive Director mentoring program for new ED’s, using member volunteers as mentors (n=49) 94% Operational support teams consisting of experienced staff from other agencies who would volunteer to provide assistance (n=49) 75% Establishment of a relationship with one legal firm that is expert in issues faced by member agencies (n=48) 69% Establishment of a relationship with a professional recruitment agency to support searches for senior managers and ED’s (n=49) Insights Inc. 519·679·0110 September 2004