Programs that participate in arranging permanent homes under new legal parentage for individuals whose birth parents are unable or unwilling to provide for their care. Included are programs that provide counselling and assistance for people who decide to relinquish their children for adoption or arrange for an independent adoption; which recruit, select, counsel and match suitable adoptive parents with children who have been relinquished; which assist in the adoption of foreign-born children, stepchildren or adults; which provide foster care for children who have been relinquished for adoption but not yet placed; and/or which assist people who are adopted to locate their birth parents and birth parents to locate the children they relinquished.

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Programs that provide care and supervision in a protective setting for dependent adults living in the community during some portion of a 24-hour day. Services may include social and recreational activities, training that is essential for sustaining activities of daily living, hot meals, as appropriate and, if an adult day health care centre, health and related services.

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Programs that provide support for individuals with disabilities who need assistance with routine activities in or outside their homes.

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Programs that provide benefits screening services which help individuals determine whether they are eligible for benefits through any of a wide variety of public and private federal, provincial and local programs. In addition to identifying the benefits that a person may be eligible to receive, the service also provides a detailed description of the programs, local contacts for additional information (typically the addresses and phone numbers of where to apply for the programs), and materials to help successfully apply for each program. Some benefits screening programs may focus on specific populations such as older adults and people with disabilities.

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Programs that provide information, guidance and assistance that supports the ability of family members and other informal caregivers to make decisions and solve problems relating to their caregiving role. The service helps the caregiver find practical solutions to concerns about the health and wellbeing of the care recipient; and may be provided via an advice line or an online chat service as well as in in-person settings.

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Programs that provide training for family members and other informal caregivers which focuses on care-related activities such as medication management, personal care and making the home environment safe and barrier-free as well as on stress management and other techniques to help the caregiver take care of him or herself. The focus of the training is on building the skills and capacity of the caregiver to manage their caregiving role. Some programs include a caregiver assessment, development of an individualized plan that focuses on the caregiver, setting goals and establishing a routine for ongoing support for the caregiver.

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Programs that develop plans for the evaluation, treatment and/or care of individuals who, because of age, illness, disability or other difficulties, need assistance in planning and arranging for services; which assess the individual's needs; coordinate the delivery of needed services; ensure that services are obtained in accordance with the case plan; and follow up and monitor progress to ensure that services are having a beneficial impact on the individual. Case management is a collaborative process characterized by communication, advocacy and resource management to promote high quality, cost-effective interventions and outcomes.

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Programs that provide substitute parental care in a group setting for children during some portion of a 24-hour day. Services may include recreational and developmental activities and snacks and/or meals as appropriate.

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Programs that provide friendship and shared activities and/or appropriate role models for individuals who suffer from lack of company, loneliness or social isolation; who need emotional support from a "buddy" to cope with a difficult life situation; who need practice conversing in English; or who lack the companionship and guidance of an adult or figure or peer role model.

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Programs that help arriving refugees, immigrants and repatriated persons settle and make an adjustment to the traditions, values and lifestyles of their adopted country.

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Programs that ensure that elderly individuals, people who have medical problems or potential allergic reactions to specific drugs, and other isolated or vulnerable individuals who are at risk of health-related crises receive the medical attention they need during an emergency. Also included are programs that offer a means of identifying or locating individuals who may wander away from those responsible for their care and become lost.

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Programs that contract with employers to offer confidential help to employees, and in some cases their families, whose legal, financial, marital, parent-child, child care, substance use, health and/or mental health conditions could have a direct impact on their attendance and job performance. EAPs vary in complexity from telephone hotlines that offer referrals for needed services to organizations that offer in-person diagnosis and referral, direct counselling and/or extensive treatment for one or a variety of problems.

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Programs that accompany people who have limited mobility, cognitive impairments or other problems to specified local destinations and provide assistance which may include transportation or driving services, assisting the individual to enter and leave the vehicle and buildings, carrying packages, helping the person deal with other challenges and/or providing emotional support. Escort programs may assist older adults and people with disabilities, people who have AIDS or fear they have contracted the HIV virus, and others who need emotional and/or physical support; and may have limitations regarding the types of trips that qualify for this service.

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Programs that provide a wide variety of social services that are designed to support healthy family development, improve the family's ability to resolve problems (such as poverty, unemployment, ill health, homelessness, substandard housing, educational difficulties, substance abuse, adolescent pregnancy, delinquency and physical and developmental problems) and prevent the need for unnecessary placement of children in foster care, group homes, inpatient substance abuse or mental health treatment programs, residential training schools or other alternative environments when family problems reach crisis proportions. Services may include home visiting services that focus on public health issues (especially prenatal), mental health and substance abuse counselling, home management instruction, success in a child care setting, parenting skills development, stress management, tutoring, pregnancy awareness and AIDS awareness; may be available to the community at large, to families at risk for dissolution or those currently in crisis; and may be offered by a single agency or a coalition of agencies that have agreed to provide services according to a coordinated case plan.

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Programs that identify and enlist people who are willing to provide living arrangements in their homes for children who need an alternative family living environment; offer services that augment and support those that are available through the family unit; or link individuals who are in need of these services with appropriate providers.

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Programs that offer special assistance, services or special events during any of the yearly holidays in order to make the celebration of the season more enjoyable.

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Programs that help people who are homeless because they have become estranged from their families establish contact with their families. The program may also, where appropriate, help them negotiate the conditions under which they can return to their families and arrange for transportation home.

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Programs that provide assistance in performing routine household, yard and personal care activities for older adults, people with disabilities, eligible low income people, families whose normal routines have been disrupted by an emergency or others who need or want these services. The objective of in-home assistance is to help the recipient sustain independent living in a clean, safe and healthy home environment.

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Programs that enable individuals who have visual or hearing impairments, who speak, read or write a language other than English and/or who require documents that have been translated into plain language to access information or communicate their needs manually, verbally and/or in writing; or to have improved access to entertainment, educational or artistic events or facilities that feature important visual or audio content.

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Programs that welcome new residents to the community by providing a variety of supportive services including information about local merchants, service providers, schools and points of interest; gift certificates or discount coupons to encourage newcomers to trade locally; change of address forms and other documentation that is necessitated by a change in residence; and other similar forms of assistance.

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Programs that facilitate parental visits with minor children in situations where the court has established conditions for the visit.

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Programs that provide classes, workshops or other educational opportunities for parents or potential parents who want to acquire the knowledge and skills to be effective in their parenting role.

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Programs that provide assistance for people who want to enhance their lives and achieve their potential as individuals through analysis of life goals, evaluation of lifestyles and relationships, elimination of unnecessary stress and modification of behaviour and attitudes to facilitate achievement of personal objectives.

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Programs that provide alternative living arrangements for children and youth who have been neglected, abused or abandoned, who have had contact with the juvenile justice system, or who have a disability, and are no longer able to live with their families; or which conduct an evaluation of current placements to determine whether a change is warranted.

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Programs that provide investigation and intervention services to ensure the safety and well-being of individuals who are vulnerable to abuse, neglect and/or exploitation.

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Programs that provide a brief period of relief or rest for family members, guardians or other people who are regular caregivers for dependent adults or children by offering temporary or intermittent care in the home or in community settings/facilities.

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Programs that match people in the community who want to make monetary contributions or provide gifts in kind that help to support individuals and/or families in need of assistance.

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Programs that are staffed by outreach workers who spend time with people who live on the street, build relationships with them, identify and address their immediate needs (e.g., crisis intervention, food, clean clothing, hygiene kits, blankets, someone to listen) and provide information about and linkage to longer-term forms of support such as shelter, counselling, drug and alcohol detoxification and rehabilitation, care/case management and, where applicable, family reunification services. Street outreach programs may be staffed by volunteers or peers who were formerly homeless; and may target special populations such as homeless youth at risk for sexual abuse or exploitation, veterans, or people with specific medical or mental health conditions, or be available to the larger homeless population.

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Organizations that provide services to facilitate the formal union of couples in marriage.

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Community-based programs staffed by outreach workers who support vulnerable and at-risk youth, build relationships with them, and provide them with information about and referrals to other forms of support and opportunities that can lead to positive social, educational, economic and health outcomes. Services offered may include assistance with the youth's immediate concerns or crisis, help navigate the system and access the services they need, support sessions for their families and caregivers, opportunities to connect with other youth and access peer support, and/or a safe space in a drop-in centre. Youth outreach programs may implement various strategies to reach the youth population where they are, including social media outreach, partnerships with youth serving organizations, maintaining a presence at community events attended by youth, or through peer mentors or youth ambassadors.

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