All members of your family who are 18 or older and who do not have a disability will have to take part in Ontario Works employment assistance activities.

This requirement may be waived, for example, if the family member is:

• already working or looking for work
• caring for a family member who is ill, elderly or disabled
• in school full-time, or
• ill or injured.

Your caseworker will work with your family member to see if they should be referred to Ontario Works. The caseworker will ask for information about your family’s circumstances, and then will make a decision.

About Ontario Works employment services

Ontario Works employment services can help your family member prepare for and find a job — even if they have never worked before or have been out of work for some time.

If they are already working or involved in an employment-related activity, they can also get help to keep their job and advance their career.

Depending on their interests and needs, Ontario Works employment services can:

• place them in a paid job
• provide training
• work with them and their employer to make sure their job is a good fit
• help resolve problems they may have with their employer or co-workers, and
• help them to become self-employed.

If a family member is referred to Ontario Works

An Ontario Works caseworker will work with your family member to develop a plan to help them prepare for and find a job. This plan is called a Participation Agreement.

If your family member does not follow the steps in the plan, your family’s ODSP Income Support payment may be reduced.