In the light of the changing face of funding and programs for Children’s Services in Alberta, agencies in Rimbey are working hard to come up with a proposal to secure funding to ensure the needs of the younger generation are being met.
Children’s Services has announced that some contracts including Parent Link won’t be renewed as a new framework is being developed that is designed to streamline services and eliminate duplication.
Neighbourhood Place and Healthy Families will lose some funding.
The provincial government has announced it will spend $57 to $64 million on Children’s Services with funding being allocated to communities within 53 to 64 identified regions. Funding will be dispersed depending on the size of the region.
In 2020, Children’s Services will issue grants for Family Resource Network services through proposals received through a competitive process called ‘expression of interest.’
Participants are invited to submit proposals for funding following the specifications and terms set out in this EO!.
The Expression of Interest is being issued by Alberta’s ministry of Children’s Services, Family and Community Resiliency Division as a competitive process to identify qualified vendors and/or vendor teams that are capable of providing of Family Resource Network services throughout Alberta.
The process, designed through a hub-and-spoke network design approach, is designed to give children and youth aged 0-18 years and their families equitable access to services that support child safety, well-being and development.
The anchor organization, the ‘Hub’ will facilitate the delivery of the services (the Spokes).
Corinne Hansen, health promotions facilitator for Alberta Health Services and Leanne Evans, Neighbourhood Place Co-ordinator are working to formulate a plan to decide how to best proceed collecting information to fill in the gaps that are required for the EOI within the required time line.
“We appreciate the collective interest from all communities and service partners to work together on this and we look forward to improving services to our communities,” said Evans.
The Rimbey & Area Interagency met on November 14 at the Provincial Building. The focus of the meeting was the new Family Resource Network Expression of Interest request that has come from the Ministry of Children’s Services to replace many existing services.
Under the new framework, Ponoka and Wetaskiwin counties would form a partnership and be part of the Central Region.
Proposals are required to be submitted by Jan. 16, 2020 and new programing is slated to begin as of April 1.