Serious Occurrence Reporting (SOR) Guidelines and related resources

The SOR Guidelines describe what a serious occurrence is, who is required to report a serious occurrence to the ministry, when to report a serious occurrence, what details to include in an SOR, who to notify, and how the ministry will make use of and follow up on the information provided in an SOR.

MCCSS SOR Guidelines
MCCSS SOR Guidelines – Video

(Discontinued) MCCSS SOR Guidelines (2019)
(Discontinued) MCCSS SOR Guidelines (2019) – Annotated

The Summary of Serious Occurrence Reporting Timelines (Level) by Category tip sheet provides an overview of the SO reporting timelines for each SO category by outlining the occurrences that qualify as Level 1 or Level 2. It can assist service providers in determining the timeframes for SOR reporting based on the nature of the incident.

Summary of Serious Occurrence Reporting Timelines (Level) by Category

The Summary of Serious Occurrence Categories, Subcategories and Types tip sheet provides an overview of the SOR categories, subcategories, and types available as reporting options in the SOR-RL system. It may be helpful for service providers in identifying the appropriate reporting category.

Summary of Serious Occurrence Reporting Categories, Subcategories and Types

The Summary of Serious Occurrence Reporting Requirements by Category tip sheet summarizes SO reporting requirements from the SOR Guidelines, with descriptions of incidents warranting the submission of an SOR for each category and, where applicable, subcategory. This summary should not be considered exhaustive, and service providers are expected to reference the SOR Guidelines and any applicable MCCSS legislation or policy, and to use their professional judgment in determining whether an incident is sufficiently serious to warrant an SOR.

Summary of Serious Occurrence Reporting Requirements by Category

SOR How-to User Guides

The SOR-RL SOR Guide for SOR Initiators outlines how to log in and use SOR-RL to submit and make updates to an SOR. It contains step-by-step instructions and tips for working in SOR-RL. The accompanying video provides an overview of SOR submission functionality in SOR-RL. Additionally, the SOR Initiator Tip Sheet – Parent/Guardian Not Applicable for Client document provides details on how to complete a parent/guardian notification in an SOR for a client that does not require it (e.g., legally independent adult, interim society care). The Mandatory Field Table provides a list of SOR fields in SOR-RL which are either required prior to the submission of the SOR to the ministry, or required prior to the ministry setting the SOR to “No Further Action Required”.

SOR-RL SOR User Guide for SOR Initiators
SOR-RL SO Reporting Training Video for SOR Initiators
SOR-RL SO Reporting Training Video for SOR Initiators - Transcript
SOR Initiator Tip Sheet - Parent/Guardian Not Applicable for Client
SOR Mandatory Field Table

The Serious Occurrence User Guide for Case Managers provides instructions for Case Managers at children’s aid societies on how to view SORs submitted by other service providers when the society is indicated as the individual’s placing agency.

SOR User Guide for Case Managers

Submitting a Manual SOR when SOR-RL is Unavailable

The following outlines a process for SOR Initiators on how to submit a SOR when SOR-RL is temporarily unavailable.

Manual SOR Business Process
Manual SOR Business Process – Video
Manual SOR Business Process – Video Transcript

The Manual SOR Form is a fillable template to be completed and submitted to the ministry when SOR-RL is temporarily unavailable and an SOR must be reported.

Manual SOR Form

East Region: ERSOR-RL@ontario.ca
Toronto Region: SORsToronto@ontario.ca
West Region: WestRegionSO@ontario.ca
Central Region: AskCentralRegionSORRL@ontario.ca
North Region: AskNorthRegionSORRL@ontario.ca
For SORs from a Youth Justice DO facility or Probation Office: YJIMU@ontario.ca
For SORs from a Youth Justice-funded program: regional office above + cc YJIMU@ontario.ca

Other helpful SOR resources

Children’s Aid Societies and Out-of-home care (residential) licensees are required to notify the Ombudsman if they learn of the death or an incident of serious bodily harm to a young person who sought or received service within the last 12 months. This notification, where it applies, must also be captured in the Notification section of a Death or Serious Injury SOR.

Ombudsman’s Definition of Serious Bodily Harm (EN)

Looking for SOR-RL Tier 1 Support contact information? Click here.