Urgent Response Services

If you or someone you know is in immediate crisis please use these community supports:
- Call 911 or go to your closest Emergency Department
- Access the Youth Services Bureau crisis chat line
- Call the Distress Centre Crisis line (24/7) at 613-238-3311 (Ottawa) or 1-866-676-1080 (Outaouais)

Urgent response services (URS) are available for children and youth with Autism through the Ontario Autism Program (OAP). They are intended to help prevent self-harm, or harm to others and property. Eligible families can receive up to 12 weeks of services and support, specifically designed to address high-risk behaviours.

Accessing URS

The criteria for accessing URS through the OAP is very specific. If you have any questions on your child's eligibility please review the eligibility criteria carefully and contact a member of our team at neurodevelopmentalhealth@cheo.on.ca with any questions.

Eligibility

To access URS, your child or youth must be:

registered in the OAP
be showing a new high-risk behaviour OR have an existing high-risk behaviour that has gotten worse within the last two weeks

High-risk behaviours include:

suicidal ideation or behaviour
violent thinking
fire starting
harm to animals
risk of exploitation
self-injury
aggression
inappropriate sexual behaviour
flight risk
property destruction

How to register

Families who meet the eligibility criteria can refer themselves, or be referred by a clinician, care coordinator or other relevant professional by contacting the Lead Agency in their area. CHEO is the URS Lead Agency for Ottawa, Prescott-Russell, Renfrew County, and Stormont-Dundas-Glengarry.

When your referral is received, CHEO will contact you to complete an eligibility screening questionnaire. If you are eligible for services, a URS Coordinator will work with you and your family to develop the intervention plan. The URS service is free for the family.

Submit a self-referral

What to expect through the URS

Each family will have a URS Coordinator from CHEO working with them to develop and oversee the service plan and to provide service navigation to other services within or outside of the OAP.

Some examples of services you can expect to receive include:

short-term interdisciplinary consultation to a child/youth’s family and other professionals who may be working with the child and family including educator(s)
respite services
direct support to the family and/or professionals involved to implement behavioral and therapy strategies with the child/youth using a mediator model approach
service navigation

FAQs

Is there a fee for this service?

There is no fee associated with this service.

My family is not eligible for URS, what are my options?

CHEO is always here for you. If after screening, you are not eligible for URS, CHEO will help you connect with other services within or outside the OAP.

Who is the Lead Organization for my area?

Visit the OAP website to see the Lead Organizations in your area:

What happens during URS?

For families:

We will work with you to design and implement a service plan for your child. Your URS Coordinator may make referrals to other services that might be helpful for you.
The services provided will focus on stabilizing your child’s behaviour and making the situation less urgent.
URS behaviour supports are intended to support you in managing your child’s behaviour. Direct support to your child is not part of URS. You should be prepared to work actively with the URS behaviour clinician(s) over the 12-week period.
Respite services that are part of the URS plan are time-limited. The respite provider will need to participate in the delivery of the intervention plan for your child.
Once the plan is implemented, your URS Coordinator will monitor the delivery of services and will meet with you (at minimum at the 6-week point) to review the plan.

For service providers involved with the family:

Other professionals currently working with your child/family, such as a core service provider or an educator, may be called upon at the start of the process to be part of the team designing the plan. They may be asked to meet during and/or at the end of the service period to support you.
We may also coach your child’s existing service providers on managing your child’s behaviours as part of URS services.

What happens when URS is over?

Before the end of 12 weeks of service, you will meet with the URS Coordinator to review your child’s progress and determine what other referrals can be made on their behalf to services within or outside the OAP. You will then be discharged from URS at the end of 12 weeks of service.

What is NOT part of the URS?

The URS is NOT A CRISIS SUPPORT SERVICE. If, as a result of the screening process, the family is determined to be in crisis the URS Coordinator will help them connect with appropriate crisis services in the community.
The URS does NOT OPERATE ON A 24/7 BASIS. Families and/or service providers should contact the service during usual business hours.
Receiving URS services DOES NOT PROVIDE FAST-TRACK ACCESS TO ANY SERVICES within the OAP (including core clinical services) or outside the OAP (such as core mental health services). Families will be referred to other services and will be required to follow their intake protocols and wait lists for service.
The URS is NOT AN OUT-OF-HOME RESIDENTIAL SERVICE. While respite services may be part of the URS Plan it will be time-limited and will require the respite provider to participate in the delivery of the intervention plan for the child.
The URS does NOT PROVIDE DIRECT FUNDING TO FAMILIES. URS services are provided by the Lead Agency at no cost the family.

Contact us

CHEO is here for you to answer questions or help you find appropriate services for your family. If you have questions about URS or other autism services, please contact neurodevelopmentalhealth@cheo.on.ca or call us at 613 737 7600 ext. 7770