Fidelity to Assertive Community Treatment Program Standards: A Regional Survey of Adherence to Standards

In 2004, the Ontario government approved revised program standards for the operation of Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) programs in the province. This paper reports on results from The 2005 Survey of ACT Programs in Ontario. We provide a profile of ACT programs in the province and identify respondents’ perceptions of the extent to which the revised program standards have been complied with and are thought to be essential for the effective operation of an ACT program. Program Coordinators completed surveys for 56 (85%) of the 66 ACT programs in existence at the time. None of the Program Coordinators reported that their ACT program was fully compliant with all program standards and only 4% of ACT programs were identified as being fully compliant with more than 75% of the program standards. Conclusions are provided and the broader implications of lower fidelity to program standards are discussed.