Program Overview

A learner can only have one active LBS service plan with the same service provider.

However, a learner can have an active LBS service plan with multiple service providers at the same time. Each organization would create a new LBS service plan, indicating what services the learner is receiving from their organization. It is the responsibility of each of the service providers to demonstrate that the learner is receiving distinct services in their LBS service plan. Each service provide is accountable for preparing the learner for the elements of their service plan.

In addition, a learner can have concurrent service plans of different program types (e.g., a client could have active Employment Service (ES)/Integrated Employment Services (IES) and LBS service plans at the same time).

The ministry expects service providers to use their professional judgement when determining if an activity is better defined as training or as education. The ministry suggests considering things including but not limited to the type of service provider who delivered the training/education (ie. training provider vs ministry of education/college/university), duration and intensity of the training/education, if a credential was provided and if so, what was it (certificate vs diploma).

Please see the Literacy and Basic Skills Service Provider Guidelines for definitions of Referral out to Training and Referral out to Education which provide some examples under each category.

Consideration would be given to the fields that a learner selects on the LBS Participant Registration form, which is then entered into EOIS-CaMS. The ministry will read what is selected on the form as selected by the learner.

Yes, effective April 1, 2019, the SIN became a mandatory requirement for all Literacy and Basic Skills learners. The SIN is required at service plan activation in the EOIS-Case Management System (EOIS-CaMS).

EOIS-CaMS includes a fillable SIN data field for the Literacy and Basic Skills program.

Employment Ontario service providers can collect a learner’s SIN by following the SIN Code of Practice located on the Government of Canada website.

The Literacy and Basic Skills program is partially funded under the federal-provincial Labour Market Transfer Agreements (LMTA). The collection of SINs is a requirement for all clients participating in programs funded under the LMTA.

As specified in the LMTA, Canadian provinces and territories agree to collect and compile the requested data elements for the federal government. Federal, provincial, and territorial governments are committed to ongoing improvements in measuring results. These data support the ongoing assessment of programs and services funded under the LMTA and are also used to inform longer-term evaluations of program effectiveness.

The information collected will not be used by the federal government for any purpose beyond program evaluation and reporting.

If a new learner does not have a SIN, the service provider is expected, when possible, to support the client with a referral to Service Canada, even if the client is eligible for exemption (see below). The service provider can continue to offer Literacy and Basic Skills services to the learner, while they obtain their SIN.

It is important for service providers to collect a new learner’s SIN and input this information into the EOIS-Case Management System (EOIS-CaMS) for federal funding and evaluation purposes.

In some cases, it may be impossible to collect SIN. Please see SIN exemptions section below for details.

Service providers will not be able to activate service plans or report on learners that do not disclose this information, unless the learners qualify for exemption.

Where an exemption is not applicable, it is the expectation that the service provider makes every effort to obtain the SIN.

The federal government will not use the SIN provided by clients for any sort of tax purposes nor will it impact their Employment Insurance claims. The SIN is used by the federal government for program evaluation on a macro scale, not to identify individuals for the Canada Revenue Agency or Employment Insurance claims.

The information collected will not be used by the federal government for any purposes beyond program evaluation and reporting.

No. The collection of SINs from clients will not be used for any funding model developments or decision making.

Only very few exemptions will be permitted at the service delivery site level, as follows:

• Corrections Literacy Initiative and sites outside of the Corrections Literacy Initiative that serve adults in correctional facilities;
• Indigenous in-person and Anglophone/Francophone sites serving more than 40% Indigenous clients;
• Deaf e-Channel

A “SIN Exemption” checkbox has been added to the EOIS-Case Management System (EOIS-CaMS) at the service delivery site level. When the box is checked, an “Attestation” will be displayed upon activation of the service plan. If “YES” is selected, the service provider will acknowledge that they are purposefully not entering the SIN. They will then be permitted to activate or close a client’s service plan.

The “Attestation” will remain displayed unless the SIN is entered into the system.

A desk aid is available on myEOIS.

The Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) Service Providers guidelines outlines the Indicators of Service Coordination and the definition for each.

Confirmation that the client is registered/participating in training/education or is receiving services as a result of the formalized referral from the LBS service provider is required for each referral.

The nature of the documentation required to substantiate each referral is not prescribed by the ministry. It is, however, expected that service providers will have sufficient documentation on file to provide evidence of each referral. This may be requested by the ministry at any time.

All formalized referrals are documented and reported in the Employment Ontario Information System: Case Management System (EOIS-CaMS) while the learner is receiving Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) services.

As noted, formalized referrals filter into the Detailed Service Quality Report (DSQR) performance report when the learner exits the program and the service plan is closed. This allows for a fulsome evaluation of the services provided while the learner was in the program.

This approach is consistent for all indicators within the Customer Service and Effectiveness dimensions of the LBS Performance Management Framework and is also consistent across the LBS and Employment Service Performance Management Systems.

Information and Referral is one of the five key services that service providers deliver as part of the LBS program. There are various references embedded within the LBS Service Provider Guidelines which inform service providers of their obligation to provide this service. As such, it is expected that service providers collect and analyze data to understand information and referral activities within their organization. Report 60A provides an overview of information and referral data on a monthly basis.

Within the Literacy and Basic Skills Performance Management Framework, referrals are not rated differently according to their source.

The Literacy and Basic Skills Service Provider Guidelines outline the indicators of service coordination (referrals in/out) and the definition for each. They also explain what is counted and not counted. You will note that client confirmation of their registration with the organization they have been referred to is typically required.

The nature of the documentation required to substantiate this is not prescribed by the ministry. It is, however, expected that service providers will have sufficient documentation on file to provide evidence that the referral occurred. This may be requested by the ministry at any time.

Service Quality Scores (SQS) are based on a potential score out of 10. In order to ensure that the Performance Management Framework (PMF) is balanced, each of the measure has a maximum value that can be achieved.

Service providers are expected to meet the requirements within each of the measures of the 3 dimensions of the PMF (Customer Satisfaction, Effectiveness and Efficiency). For example, a service provider cannot achieve their overall service quality standard by over-performing in one measure to compensate for low performance in another measure.

A formalized referral (a planned, supported and co-ordinated arrangement) is made either by the Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) program service provider on behalf of the learner to another organization (employment/education/training/community services) or by another community organization to the LBS Program service provider on behalf of a client.

The ministry does not prescribe the nature of the referral documentation. It could be a completed referral form or a note to file indicating that a referral was made and that the learner received services from the other organization. Service providers may find that it is easier to capture information for input into the Employment Ontario Information System – Case Management System (EOIS-CaMS) if a referral form is completed. A formal referral includes an exchange of client / learner information.

Information and Referral is not restricted to individuals who physically enter a site. Face to face, email, or telephone inquiries may also be included as information and referral activities. Upon request, service providers will need to produce records to validate the information and referral information provided to the ministry.  This can include a note added to the learner’s file.

Service providers have an obligation to promote the program within the community and provide information to learners, potential learners, clients, volunteers, other interested individuals and referring organizations.

If the client/learner is referred to an Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP), the referral should be indicated as Referred Out to ODSP.

Depending on the nature of the referral, an individual may be referred to a program provided through a post-secondary institution (e.g., Employment Service, Apprenticeship program). Alternatively, they may be accessing Educational/Academic Services.

In the event that a specific service or program has not been identified, the referral may be captured under the Other – Structured/Formal Referral category.

Yes, phone calls can be used to make structured/formal referrals as long as the referral is planned, supported and coordinated and the telephone conversation is documented. The Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) Service Plan “Referred In” field contains a wide variety of options including informal referrals which can be selected when the service plan is being created. Service providers can select “Informal Word of Mouth/Media Referral” to capture learners and clients who are referred to them through more informal channels.

Yes, a learner will be counted as long as they have an active service plan (with a competency sub-goal in progress or completed) within the report period (or fiscal year).

The ministry does not prescribe the duration of a learner’s service plan. However, it is important to note that training must be provided with enough frequency and intensity to produce measurable progress.

Indigenous, Deaf and Francophone are suitability indicators self-identified by individuals.

Stream designations are attributed to LBS service delivery sites. Designated cultural stream service delivery sites are designed to meet the cultural and linguistic needs of learners.

Learners who self-identify as Indigenous, Deaf and/or Francophone may access LBS services at the service delivery site that best meets their particular needs.

Youth is not a suitability indicator for the Literacy and Basic Skills program.

“Francophone” and “Indigenous” are defined in the Literacy and Basic Skills Service Provider Guidelines. Service providers should review the Participant Registration Form (including the Notice of Collection and Consent) with the learner to ensure the learner’s comprehension of the information that is being collected and the purpose for the information collected. The learner should be encouraged to complete the form as thoroughly as possible. Ultimately it is the learner’s decision to disclose self-identification information.

Clients must provide information to confirm their eligibility for the program. If they choose not to do so, they may not be able to access the program.

For voluntary self-reported information, clients should be encouraged to provide as fulsome information as possible to assist the service provider in meeting their unique needs.

Service providers should have procedures/policies in place to inform learners why this information is being collected and how it will be used. This often means educating their staff to take the time to explain why this information is being requested, how it is used to evaluate the overall effectiveness of the program, and how it will be protected.

Yes, service providers can revisit those questions and update EOIS-CaMS with the complete information as it is their responsibility, as the business owners of data, to ensure that the data collected and entered into EOIS-CaMS is accurate and complete. Please note that all updates must be completed prior to the closure of a service plan.

No. Service providers must complete a customer satisfaction survey at exit using the question, “On a scale of 1 to 5, how likely are you to recommend the Literacy and Basic Skills program to someone looking for similar services?” This question can be found on the mandatory Exit and Follow Up form. If the learner is not available to answer this survey question at exit, then the service provider should record the learner’s response as “no response.”

Yes, service providers may, for their own purposes, conduct anonymous surveys to inform program evaluations. However, for ministry purposes, Customer Satisfaction will be determined as a percentage of all exiting learners who have completed the satisfaction survey and who rate the program as a 4 or a 5. These responses must be attributed to each learner in EOIS-CaMS.

In LBS, the expectation is that all learners will be surveyed at exit. The LBS Customer Satisfaction question is part of the LBS Exit and Follow-up form which is a mandatory form to be used for all learners who exit the LBS program. Therefore, it is expected that LBS service providers ask this question to all exiting learners.

As described in the Literacy and Basic Skills Service Provider Guidelines, , during service and at exit, the percentage of learners who successfully complete at least one required milestone related to their individual goal path within the current fiscal year.

Find resources on the Literacy and Basic Skills Participant and Performance Management page on the EOPG.

The Literacy and Basic Skills program is a learner-centred, goal-directed, transition-oriented, and results- based service. All the work done by service providers, including marketing and assessment, is reflected in the outcomes achieved by the clients and learners they serve. The Literacy and Basic Skills Program Service Delivery Guidelines outline the five services that all service providers are expected to provide including:

1. Information and Referral;
2. Assessment;
3. Learner Plan Development;
4. Training; and
5. Follow-

Service providers may focus on preparing learners for different goal paths but each learner, regardless of the focus of the service provider’s programming, receives the same five services.

The performance of the service provider and the overall quality of LBS is not measured by an exclusive focus on any one activity. Success is measured by a combination of who is served; the outcomes they achieve; customer satisfaction; and value for investment. This ensures that LBS learners and clients remain at the centre of the system.

It is important that Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) service providers support learners who are most suitable for the program.

Suitability/Learner Profile is a measure of who is being served. It examines and quantifies identified learner barriers to achieving learning goals related to employment, further education or training, and independence. This measure ensures that the service providers are providing services to clients who are most in need of LBS services.

Suitability/Learner Profile in the LBS Performance Management System is measured with multiple suitability indicators, such as education level, time out of training, age, etc.

Suitability criteria include:

• Learning performance: characteristics of a learner which may affect learning performance, such as language, disability, education level.
• Motivation and study habits: characteristics of a learner which may result in motivational challenges or study habit issues, such as length of time away from formal education, history of interrupted education.
• Demographics: characteristics of a learner which have been identified as barriers to learning such as age, level of education attained, source of income support.

Service providers who demonstrate that they are serving learners who fit the above criteria, and who are supporting learners with suitability indicators currently identified in Phase 2 of the LBS Performance Management Framework will not be penalized for this activity. Service providers are encouraged to provide an explanation, during their ongoing consultation with their ministry consultant and also when submitting their Quarterly Status and Adjustment Report, to apprise the ministry of this situation.

As per the Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) Service Provider Guidelines, LBS service providers contact learners at exit and at three, six and twelve months after they leave the LBS program in order to document their outcomes. This delivery service helps demonstrate the value and effectiveness of the four other delivery services in meeting the literacy needs of learners.

LBS service providers must:

• follow up with learners at three, six and twelve months after they leave the program to document their current status;
• ensure that information collection and recording makes follow-up convenient and effective;
• evaluate the effectiveness of the training activities, including learner feedback;
• establish and maintain a process for receiving ongoing feedback and information from other service providers in the community, from employers (where appropriate), and from learners

Gift cards may be used in exceptional circumstances to address specific needs of clients who are facing barriers in reaching their employment goals. An exceptional circumstance includes, but is not limited to, clients that are facing immediate financial hardship and require the urgent purchase of resources. Decisions should always be based on value for money.

Service providers must obtain itemized receipts verifying that gift cards were used to purchase eligible items. All receipts must be retained in the client file.

In this case, service providers are encouraged to purchase the item for the client.

No, gift cards may not be used to reward clients for participating in Employment Ontario activities.

Gift cards for gas may be considered as a last resort if public transportation is not available, for example, in rural or remote communities. They should not be purchased in bulk and may not be purchased in denominations greater than $100. Receipts for gas cards must be retained, and if possible, receipts for the gas purchases should be obtained as well.

Service providers may use gift cards from these stores in exceptional circumstances and must ensure they obtain receipts verifying that gift cards were used to purchase eligible items. All receipts must be retained in the client file. However, the recommended approach would be for the service provider to purchase supports with their corporate account on behalf of the client.

No, gift cards should only be purchased as needed.

These gift cards may be used in exceptional circumstances to address the specific needs of clients who are facing barriers in reaching their employment goals. Service providers must obtain receipts verifying that gift cards were used to purchase eligible items. All receipts must be retained in the client file.

Service providers must obtain receipts verifying that gift cards were used to purchase eligible items. All receipts must be retained in the client file.

Service providers must attempt to recover the funds for the unverified purchase pursuant to the wrongdoing clauses in their transfer payment agreements.

Service providers must attempt to recover the funds for the value of the ineligible purchase pursuant to the wrongdoing clauses in their transfer payment agreements.

A client with a balance remaining on their gift card must return it to the service provider.

No, service providers should review the Audit and Accountability Requirements (Schedule “H”) of their transfer payment agreements to determine appropriate program-specific use of financial supports.