Learn about when OW will contact your parents

Beware of scams

People have been getting phone calls with a pre-recorded message telling them their Ontario Works account has been deleted.

This is a scam to trick you into sharing your personal information. If you get a call like that, hang up the phone. You can report these calls to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.

If you apply for Ontario Works (OW), OW will usually want to contact your parents to confirm:

the reason you cannot live with them
why they won't support you

OW will ask your parents why you left and whether they'll let you go back home to live. If you and your parents do not agree about why you left, OW cannot automatically decide that what your parents say is true.

If your parents say you can live with them but you do not want to, you have to show OW why living with your parents is not a good idea.

Asking OW to not contact your parents

OW should not contact your parents if they've physically abused you or are a threat to your safety.

Tell OW if you do not want them to contact your parents and explain why.

Going to family counselling

OW may want you and your parents to see a counsellor who can assess what's happening in your family. Or you might have to go on your own if:

your parents won't go
OW decides it's not safe for you to have contact with your parents

If your parents do not co-operate

OW cannot refuse to give you assistance only because your parents refuse to take part in a family assessment.

And if OW cannot contact your parents or your parents do not answer their questions, OW can:

ask someone else to confirm what's happening in your family
decide about your assistance based on what you say