How to Apply for Temporary Care Assistance in Ontario

You have a child living with you who is not your own, and you need to get financial support moving before your savings run out. Temporary Care Assistance under Ontario Works is designed for exactly this situation — and unlike standard OW, it does not look at your income, your pension, or your bank account. Here is how to apply.

What TCA Is (and Why It Is Different from Regular Ontario Works)

TCA is a child-only benefit under Section 10 of the Ontario Works Act, 1997. It exists for adults caring for a child they have no legal obligation to support — grandparents, aunts, uncles, older siblings, or family friends. The eligibility test looks only at the child's finances: the child's non-exempt assets must not exceed $500, non-exempt income must be within the applicable budgetary requirements, and the child must not be included as a dependent on anyone else's OW or ODSP file.

Your employment income, CPP, OAS, GIS, RRSP, house, car — all of it is irrelevant to TCA eligibility.

The Five Eligibility Requirements

Under Directive 3.10, five conditions must all be met:

1. Temporary care — the child lives with you temporarily, with the expectation they will return to their natural or adoptive parent(s) at the earliest safe opportunity
2. Child is in financial need — the child's non-exempt assets do not exceed $500 and non-exempt income is within the applicable budgetary requirements
3. Not already a dependent — the child is not included in another OW or ODSP benefit unit
4. No legal obligation — you are not the child's biological or adoptive parent, and have not demonstrated "settled intent to treat the child as a child of your own family"
5. Not receiving CAS foster per diem — you are not being paid as a licensed foster parent for this child

How to Apply: Step by Step

Step 1: Contact Your Local OW Office

Call your municipal Ontario Works office or District Social Services Administration Board (DSSAB). Tell them you need to apply for Temporary Care Assistance under Section 10 of the Ontario Works Act, 1997 for a child who is not your own.

This phrasing matters. If you just say "I need Ontario Works," the intake system may default to a standard adult application that assesses your personal income. Being specific about TCA and Section 10 routes the application correctly.

You can also start online through the Social Assistance Digital Application (SADA) portal, but follow up immediately by phone to confirm the file is tagged as a TCA application, not a standard OW application.

Step 2: Gather Your Documents

You will need:

• Child's identity — birth certificate, Canadian citizenship card, permanent resident card, or immigration documents
• Proof the child lives with you — a school enrolment letter naming you as the primary contact, a letter from the child's doctor, or a CAS worker's confirmation letter
• Child's financial records — bank statements for any accounts in the child's name (to show non-exempt assets do not exceed $500)
• Form 2212 — the Declaration Relative to Food or Maintenance, which you complete at the OW office
• Form 19 — Consent to Disclose and Verify Information, completed for application verification
• Reasonable efforts documentation — notes showing you attempted to contact the biological parents for financial support, or a written statement explaining a safety risk such as physical or emotional harm, domestic violence, fear of abduction, or no contact

You do not need legal guardianship or a court order to sign these forms. The OW office accepts caregiver signatures for administrative consent on the child's behalf.

Step 3: Complete the Intake Interview

The interview may be in person or by phone, depending on your municipality. The caseworker verifies the child's identity, living arrangement, and financial situation. They should not ask about your personal income, savings, or employment — if they do, remind them this is a Directive 3.10 TCA application where the adult caregiver's finances are excluded.

Step 4: Receive the Decision

The OW office must issue a formal written notice with the monthly rate, start date, and health benefits. Payment begins from the date the office received your completed application — not the interview date or the approval date.

What If Something Goes Wrong

If the caseworker tries to make you sign a Participation Agreement (the job-search and employment-services contract), you can decline. TCA-only applicants are exempt from the Participation Agreement under Directive 3.10. You do not have to look for work as a condition of receiving TCA.

If your application is denied, you have 30 calendar days from receiving the notice to request an Internal Review. If the Internal Review upholds the denial (or the office does not respond within 30 calendar days), you have another 30 calendar days to file an appeal with the Social Benefits Tribunal. Community legal clinics across Ontario provide free representation for OW appeals.

What Comes After Approval

Once TCA is running, file CRA Form RC66 to transfer the Canada Child Benefit and Ontario Child Benefit to you. Between TCA, the CCB, and the OCB, a single grandchild with no other income can bring roughly $994 per month into the household — none of which reduces your personal pension or social assistance.

Our Ontario Kinship Financial Help guide includes the complete document checklist, a caseworker meeting preparation sheet, tracking logs for application dates and decision deadlines, and step-by-step instructions for every benefit the child may be entitled to.

See more Ontario guides →