The Ministry of Community and Social Services (CSS) is working towards client-centered, integrated service delivery through implementation of the Client Centered Integrated Service Delivery (CCISD) Operating Model. The Model describes the transformational changes to delivery models and to the roles of staff and programs. The model supports a multi-modal (call, click or come in) centralized access point for Albertans to access a variety of social-based programs and services. Alberta Supports is the public face of the CCISD Operating Model that provides Albertans with a one-stop contact point through which to access more than 120 government services and community supports by clicking, calling or coming in. The initiative is being rolled out in four phases:
• Phase 1 introduced the Alberta Supports Coordinator role and the Registration and Needs Identification functions;
• Phase 2 introduced the Case Manager role and the Holistic Assessment, Outcome Planning, and Outcome Plan Management functions, revised the Needs Identification function and introduced Pathway Determination; and
• The scope of Phases 3 and 4 are to be finalized.
To support the development and roll-out of the CCISD operating model for Alberta Supports, four (4) prototype sites have been established to test and evaluate components of Phase 2 of the model before they are implemented on a provincial scale. The four (4) prototype sites build upon roles and functions introduced through the first phase of the Alberta Supports roll-out. Prototype sites are located in Calgary, Edmonton, Rocky Mountain House and St. Paul.
The components being tested in the Phase 2 prototype sites include:
• Needs Identification – Co-identification between individual and families (I/Fs) and Alberta Supports workers of the range of needs of I/Fs seeking services;
• Holistic Assessment – Development of a shared understanding between I/Fs and Alberta Supports Workers of an I/Fs strengths, barriers and external supports across a number of domains and gauging of the complexity of their circumstances;
• Outcome Planning – Supporting I/Fs to identify, prioritize and identify steps required to achieve goals;
• Outcome Plan Management – Supporting I/Fs to build capacity to work towards their goals and review progress of actions;
• Pathway Determination – Recommending a service pathway (Supported Self Service or Case Management) to I/Fs and supporting the I/F’s pathway selection at various points in the CCISD process;
• Alberta Supports Coordinator Role – Assess I/Fs’ needs, complete the registration process and determine potential eligibility for in-scope services I/Fs may wish to access; and
• Case Manager Role – Provide case management support to I/Fs on the Case Management pathway throughout their service journey.
The prototype sites are undergoing a comprehensive evaluation. One component of the evaluation is a client survey to understand the client experience with, and perspectives on, the prototype components.
2.1.2. Project Objectives
The purpose of this project is to conduct a client experience survey with individuals and families I/Fs) who have (a) had a Needs Identification completed, (b) participated in case management, or (c) declined case management services at one of the four Alberta Supports prototype sites. The survey objectives are to:
• Understand the client experience with Phase 2 prototype components;
• Identify areas for improvement related to the client journey;
• Explore differentiated experiences with the prototype components across client populations and prototype sites;
• Identify I/Fs’ perceptions of progress toward their identified outcomes;
• Based on analysis of survey results, the consultant will identify lessons learned/best practices that can be used to inform the sustainability, spread, and scale of the Phase 2 prototype components;
• Use and determine relative effectiveness of multiple survey dissemination modes (phone, paper/in person, and online); and
• Identify differences across respondents and/or responses by survey dissemination mode.
The Services to be provided are:
• Develop survey administration protocol for each survey mode (site-based paper survey, telephone, and online);
• Adapt the survey instrument provided for each survey mode as required (site-based paper survey, telephone, and online);
• Conduct testing of the survey instruments and protocols to validate the tools and/or identify necessary revisions;
• Administer the survey as an online, telephone and hard copy/in person survey, obtaining sufficient sample size to ensure representativeness of results for each of the four prototype sites based on client volume and level of services received (i.e., I/Fs not receiving case management services and I/Fs receiving case management services), and to allow comparison of results across the four prototype site locations and across survey modes. Potential need for basic client demographic representation (e.g., gender, age, etc.) will be determined prior to contract initiation;
• Provide survey respondent support;
• Compile and clean data;
• Submit an anonymized, clean, raw data set in Excel;
• Submit a final report including an executive summary of results, sampling approach, response rates, methodology, limitations, summary of validation activities (if applicable), margin of error and confidence intervals, and results.
A survey tool and contact information for the telephone/online sample will be prepared and made available at the commencement of the contract. The survey instrument will consist primarily of close-ended items with a small number of open-ended questions. It is expected that the survey should take 15 minutes or less to complete.
The anticipated duration of the project is from December, 2017 to March 31, 2018.
