About FCSS Programs
Shaping the Preventive Social Support Landscape of Alberta
A Family and Community Support Service (FCSS) is:
- A legal partnership between the Province of Alberta and municipalities or Métis Settlements
- An agreement under which locally driven preventive initiatives can be developed, to enhance the wellbeing of individuals, families, and communities
- A funding arrangement through which the province provides a pre-determined grant for locally-driven initiatives, and municipalities match that grant by providing at least 20 per cent of the funding
- A philosophy under which local people can influence things that affect them, communities can be innovative and creative, citizen participation, self-help, and volunteerism are encouraged, and human growth and potential are enhanced
- A continually evolving program that encourages communities to strengthen themselves
The programs are a way for both the provincial and local governments to proactively and preventatively provide the people of Alberta with necessary social services, without creating a dependency on them – resulting in resilient, capable communities.
FCSS funding is available to municipalities and Métis Settlements within Alberta that choose to develop and deliver social services that are preventive in nature.
Over 99 percent of Albertans reside in communities served by FCSS programs.
FCSS programs are a unique 80/20 funding partnership between the Government of Alberta and participating municipalities or Métis Settlements. They enhance the social well-being of individuals and families through intervention strategies at the earliest opportunity, teaching coping skills, crisis resistance, and helping people and communities assume responsibility for decisions and actions which affect them.
This philosophy is based on a belief that self-help contributes to a sense of integrity, self-worth, and independence. Programs help individuals adopt healthy lifestyles and habits, thereby improving the quality of their lives today and tomorrow.
The Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) Accountability Framework provides a common definition of prevention, identifies key provincial prevention priorities and increases accountability through a better outcomes model that will demonstrate the impact and value of FCSS. The Framework will help guide local programming to better address the pressing social challenges Albertans are facing today.
