Residents who rely on social programs could soon find it easier to navigate government bureaucracy thanks to a provincial initiative to move human services to a centralized model.
On June 3, managers and employees from Alberta Works, Child and Family Services, Disabilities Services and Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH), met for two hours at the Jasper Adult Learning Centre to learn from one another and work toward a more efficient model.
The idea is to improve how each service interacts with each other to ensure social programs are being used as effectively as possible.
As part of the initiative, the government has set up 10 Alberta Support Centres across the province to consolidate human services under one roof.
The one-stop-shop is part of the government’s move towards a client-centred—rather than program-centre—delivery model, explained Tony Puim, the area west manager for Alberta Human Services.
The idea is people will be able to speak to one person who can help navigate them through all of the government's programs and services.
“Albertans will be able to ask questions about anything from the cradle to the grave,” said Puim.
“It’s intended to help Albertans speed through the process or even become aware of programs and services that are available to them through the Alberta government,” he said, adding people can still find answers online or by calling.
In a centre, service coordinators are trained to assist people to find the right service or program and, if for some reason they can’t, they will physically walk the person down the hall to introduce them to the right person.
“The hope is we don’t lose anyone throughout this whole process because it can be pretty daunting,” said Puim.
The government recently opened a support centre in Whitecourt and plans to open up additional centres in Edson, Barrhead and Westlock.
“Hopefully we can set up some kind of service in Jasper, but we first need to speak to the community about how best to do this,” said Puim.
“Human Services is a really complicated and complex ministry because we have so many different pieces,” explained Bev Parker, the regional director for Alberta Works. “We want to help the community understand how those pieces fit together and help us understand the community so we can serve it better.”
Parker said she is impressed by the coordination between non-profit and community organizations already in Jasper and is looking forward to working with those groups in the future.
To find out more information about human services in Alberta, visit
www.albertasupports.ca or call
1-877-644-9992, or phone toll free at 310-0000, then dial 780-644-9992.
Paul Clarke
[email protected]
