Resolution 2022-01
Centralized Call Centre Process to Access Alberta Supports Services
Submitted by: Lac La Biche County Family and Community Support Services
BE IT RESOLVED THAT the FCSSAA work with the Provincial Government to reduce barriers for accessing Alberta Supports Services for people who do not have the financial or technological means for reliable telephone or internet service. Utilizing call centres to access services created barriers for people who need Alberta Supports Services the most.
Rationale
During the pandemic the Alberta Government launched a centralized process for people to access services through Alberta Supports. People are expected to either go on-line or phone a call centre to get the vital supports needed. Going to this process meant many assumptions were made, which do not bear out. Using on-line services presumes people are literate with internet usage, have ready access to internet or cellular service and have a device they can use.
People living on income supports often cannot afford internet or cellular services or devices, and in rural areas these services are often not be reliable. The Alberta Rural Connectivity Coalition states that only 37% of rural Alberta households have access to an internet connection speed that meets the federal government’s basic service speed.11 If someone with constricted finances does have a cellular phone, they often use phone service by the minute or straight texting plans.
Reports of having to be on a phone for lengthy periods of time on hold, sometimes more than an hour at a time, means these people cannot access services they need. Also, when we view the seniors’ population or people with limited intellectual abilities, they may not be able to navigate web systems to access services or use a cell phone for this purpose.
The barriers created by utilizing an on-line access portal or call centre has further disenfranchised people who are often at the fringes of society already. Community agencies and services are feeling the impact of this change in process. This includes some rural FCSS offices, especially where there are no other human services organizations in a community. Nonprofit agencies have people coming to utilize their Wi-Fi, phones, faxes and get help completing forms – services previously offered through Alberta Supports. Regular services or case loads these agencies typically provide are disrupted by people who would ordinarily go to the local Alberta Supports office for services.
While utilizing a centralized approach to accessing services appeared to be a reasonable approach while pandemic protocols were are their most stringent, there is a significantly negative impact for people living in rural communities. This negative impact is to people needing Alberta Support services and people who would have been normally served by non-profit agencies being overwhelmed by the extra workload.
Questions?
If you have any questions about this resolution, please contact:
Mellissa Kraft, FCSSAA Executive Director
director@fcssaa.org
#625, 7 Sir Winston Churchill Square, Edmonton, AB | T5J 2V5
FCSSAA
The Family and Community Support Services Association of Alberta (FCSSAA) was founded in 1981, as a member-driven organization dedicated to bringing Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) programs from across the province together. We provide the platform for our member programs to connect and collaborate, so they can maximize resources and speak with an informed, credible, unified voice to all stakeholders.
