Identity area
Type of entity
Authorized form of name
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Mental Retardation Facility Services Division
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
History
The Mental Retardation Facility Services Division was created on April 1, 1974 within the Ministry of Community and Social Services. It resulted from the transfer of functions relating to the provision of mental retardation programs from the Ministry of Health following the release of a report entitled Community Living for the Mentally Retarded in Ontario: A New Policy Focus. The transfer reflected the Ontario government’s desire to de- emphasize long term institutional care of the mentally challenged in favour of broadly based community integration.
The division initially reported to the Assistant Deputy Minister of Program Development but was moved in 1975 under the Assistant Deputy Minister of Developmental Resources. From 1978 until 1981 the division reported directly to the Deputy Minister.
With the decentralization of services to the Ministry’s regional offices in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Mental Retardation Facility Services Division was dissolved in 1981 and its functions were assumed by the Operations Division, Children’s and Adults’ Services.
Places
Legal status
Functions, occupations and activities
The Mental Retardation Facility Services Division supported and promoted the development of community programs and accommodation alternatives to help better assimilate mentally challenged people into Ontario society. To this end, the division funded and helped operate several facilities for the mentally challenged and developed treatment services, training programs, and recreational activities for residents. Moreover, the division offered counselling, support, and crisis intervention services to residents’ families. Lastly, the division conducted research and educational programs into the causes, prevention, and treatment of mental disabilities.
Address
Internal structures/genealogy
General context
Relationships area
Related entity
Identifier of related entity
Category of relationship
Type of relationship
Dates of relationship
Description of relationship
Related entity
Identifier of related entity
Category of relationship
Type of relationship
Dates of relationship
Description of relationship
Access points area
Subject access points
Place access points
Epithet
Control area
Authority record identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
RAD: Rules for Archival Description, 2nd edn (2008)
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation, revision and deletion
2026-11-16: migrated to AtoM
Language(s)
Script(s)
Sources
Ministry of Community and Social Services Annual Reports, 1973- 1982; Canadiana Name Authorities, 1996-12-24.
Maintenance notes
Archivist(s):
Joseph Solovitch