RIC Handbook

VISION

To create a seamless human service delivery system through collaboration.

MISSION

Human service leaders working together to coordinate linkages that shape and influence program, policy, funding and resources deployment to meet community needs.

PRINCE ALBERT RIC PRIORITIES

The Prince Albert RIC’s primary priority involves all aspects of human service delivery to address issues that affect children, youth and families with diverse needs and interests. The current human services’ focus involves the following areas:

Early Childhood Development
Vulnerable Children and Youth
Safe Communities
Quality of Life enhancement for Urban First Nations and Métis Peoples
Healthy Communities
Transitions to Work
Integration and Seamless Services.

The RIC’s human service leaders review and update this focus on a regular basis. The 3 areas receiving major attention in 2009/10 are: 1) food security, 2) safe & healthy communities, 3) accountability & transparency.

INTRODUCTION

The Prince Albert Regional Intersectoral Committee (RIC) is one of ten standing committees located throughout the province, and is linked to the Human Service Integration Forum (HSIF).

These committees provide a forum and coordinating link for human service leaders, community voices, and research support to develop and communicate indicators, shared priorities, evaluation frameworks, and outcomes. One of their main objectives is to coordinate linkages that shape and influence program policy, and resource deployment to meet the diverse needs and interests of residents with special emphasis on children and youth.

The RICs are an innovative structure for collaboration that does not exist elsewhere. Some of the key strengths of the RIC initiative include:

Education through information exchange
Broad representation
Relationship networking between multi-levels of government, and community partners
Community access to linkages and organizational leaders
Connecting initiatives and working together to meet local priorities
Demonstrated community cohesion around shared priorities.

Members of the committee consist of human service representatives from:

Federal, Provincial, Municipal, First Nations and Métis governments
Local authorities such as school divisions, post-secondary education, health district, police services, and housing authority. (Please see “Appendix A” for a detailed membership list).

To understand why these ten Regional Intersectoral Committees were created, the following provides a historical perspective.

HUMAN SERVICES WORKING TOGETHER – HOW THIS BEGAN

In the fall of 1994, a number of Saskatchewan Government departments and secretariats formed the Associate and Assistant Deputy Minister’s (ADM’s) Forum on Human Services. The ADM’s Forum was established out of a growing awareness that human service providers must work collectively, and in different ways, to address the socio-economic and fiscal pressures challenging Saskatchewan.

Improving outcomes in one human service sector must be matched with a look at how human services come together in the lives of people and communities.

Generally, human service systems were not designed as a single system. Rather, each part has its own history of evolution and development. People and communities, while supportive of community-driven services, were increasingly frustrated with the complexity of the existing system. Too often, those who required services had to sort through the complexity of what was needed – a difficult task for those who are already vulnerable.

Saskatchewan is a leader in Canada in human services and now has an opportunity to shape future directions. With renewed interest in service integration, new partnerships are forming among organizations that have not traditionally worked together.

Within human services, many of the same beliefs, values, directions, and approaches were shared. These led naturally to a common vision and common principles for work across the human service field. There are a number of compelling reasons why human service delivery requires change – limited resources, service pressures, and changing expectations.

In Saskatchewan, human services are broadly defined to include health, education and training, social, justice, sport and recreation, cultural and housing services.

The invitation was extended to all in the human services – social, education, health, justice, recreation, housing, Aboriginal, cultural and other service areas – to take up the challenge and opportunity to work together in new, integrated ways. Integration means focusing on client and community needs rather than on the mandate of a particular agency or organization. It means coming together to plan and coordinate programs and activities around the needs of individuals, families, and communities.

This integrated approach to human service delivery is provided through the Regional Intersectoral Committees, with each individual committee responding to the specific needs of the community of region that it serves.

In 1995, a coordinator was hired and the committee expanded to balance government and non-government community partners.

In 1998, the city was invited to join the RIC table and in 1999 the Métis Nation added their voice to the RIC. In the spring of 2001 Prince Albert Grand Council became members and in 2002 the Federal government accepted an invitation to send representation.

PRINCE ALBERT RIC WHAT IS THE RIC’S ROLE IN THE COMMUNITY?

The main purpose of the RIC initiative is to work toward removing barriers and closing gaps to interagency cooperation and collaboration at all levels, and reducing duplication in the delivery of human services. The RIC also coordinates local reviews for a variety of project-based funds such as Prevention and Support Grants, Community Initiatives Fund, Student Employment Experience, and National Crime Prevention Funding amongst others. Current RIC activities include:

Work to support community-based planning systems for human services
Establish regular data collection and information sharing strategies
Encourage the formation of interagency groups or action teams to address issues that affect vulnerable children, youth and families with diverse needs and interests
Support existing community interagency groups with planning advice, project funding, and communication support
Support implementation of regional and provincial integration strategies in a variety of areas
Ensure that issues presented connect work to practice.

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

Identifying and solving problems
Recommend the distribution of community program funds
Sharing information and best practices, and establishing harmonized positions on issues of mutual interest
Identifying emerging issues of common interest
Promoting capacity building
Developing confidence/capacity and trust among human service providers; ( Building relationships increasing participation)
Increasing public confidence in human service delivery
Developing partnerships; Community development/capacity building
Developing mechanisms of cooperation and working collaboratively to implement solutions for issues of mutual interests
Supporting HSIF Initiatives.

DEFINING ACTION GOALS

Awareness and clarification of human service strengths and challenges

Share and exchange information between members and their organizations, the community and other stakeholders
Undertake regular needs assessments
Province guidance and support to the community to identify and address human service needs.

PRINCIPLES

The Prince Albert RIC’s core values reflect their goals and objectives while working toward integrated human service delivery:

Integration and Collaboration: A commitment to working together is the basis for human service delivery agencies to plan and coordinate programs and activities that best meet the needs of individuals, families and communities.
Evidence-Based Change: There is commitment to using data driven decision-making and developing priorities and action based on outcome measures and quality of life indicators.
Citizen Voice: Opportunity is provided for community engagement in integrated human service delivery discussions, decisions and actions.
Declared Ownership and Leadership: That progress and success occur when the need for integration has been acknowledged and owned.
Innovation: A willingness to think and act differently to meet emerging human service needs.
Communication: An open, timely and transparent process of change and action to enhance services, fill gaps and reduce duplication.
Inclusively: Opportunity is provided for all stakeholders to participate in defining human service integration priorities.
Bias for Action: Actions are directed toward developing a response to integrated service delivery.

BUILDING COMMUNITIES FOR THE FUTURE… CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR SUCCESS

Social issues in our community concern and affect us all. Prince Albert’s leaders in human services who come together through the RIC believe that the only way to respond to the community social needs is through collaborative action aimed at building a better quality of life.

Creating responsive community services and supports increases opportunities for success. By making the effort to combine assets and potentials in new ways, we build healthier individuals and communities. It is work that is too important to be done alone.

Trusting relationships strengthen our community. The human service leaders who participate in the RIC are committed to enabling their agencies to build collaborative models that provide more integrated and holistic services and supports to Prince Albert and area citizens.

top