Community and Protective Services Committee
Comité des services communautaires et de protection
2 June 2008/le 2 juin 2008
Submitted by/Soumis par : Steve Kanellakos
Deputy City Manager/Directeur municipal adjoint
Community and Protective Services/Services communautaires et de
protection
Contact Person/Personne ressource : Donna
Gray, Manager / gestionnaire
Strategic
Initiatives and Business Planning / Initiatives stratégiques et planification
opérationnelle
(613)
580-2424 x25684, Donna.Gray@ottawa.ca
That the Community and
Protective Services Committee receive this report for information.
RECOMMANDATION
DU RAPPORT
Que le Comité des
services communautaires et de protection reçoive ce rapport à titre
d'information.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Community and Protective Services
Department adopted a Three-Year Strategic Plan from 2005 to 2007 and created a
new service delivery philosophy called “How Can We Help?” to support the work
undertaken within the plan. Within that framework, twelve initiatives were
identified as the priority areas for focus:
·
Emergency
Management Program
·
Neighbourhood
Planning
·
Working
City
·
Access
to Culture
·
Children
and Youth Agenda
·
Community
and Cultural Investment
·
Building
a Learning and Literate Community
·
Physical
Activity Strategy
·
Public
Education: Safety and Safe Behaviour
·
Staff
Investment Strategy
·
Housing
Agenda
In recognition that the larger community has a
role in working with the City of Ottawa to promote quality of life for the
citizens, an integrated and collaborative approach was endorsed as the best way
of working towards common goals. The
strategic objectives of the plan and the initiatives were to improve existing
working relationships and to forge new partnerships, to build networks to
improve communication among stakeholders, and to increase the community
capacity to respond to changing citizen needs and emerging issues. The work undertaken
in the initiatives was also intended to improve opportunities for coordination
within City departments and branches and collaboration with external
stakeholders to improve services to citizens of Ottawa.
The overall impact of the CPS Strategic Plan
and the activities conducted in the initiatives was significant at the level of
the City of Ottawa and at the community level. City staff employed a more
holistic approach to identify issues and solutions through improved
opportunities for collaboration across branches and departments. The creation
of multi-disciplinary teams encouraged staff development, mentoring and
succession planning. Operational enhancements in program/service delivery were
a result of the initiatives emphasis on creating a client-focused service.
The CPS Strategic Plan contributed to enhanced
quantity and quality of community engagement.
Each of the initiatives involved extensive consultations with staff,
residents and community partners.
Throughout the course of the three-year term,
more than 900 community consultation sessions or meeting were held involving
approximately 6000 residents and 700 community experts during the development
and implementation of the initiatives.
Through the twelve priority
initiatives, CPS leveraged more than $9 million dollars in Federal funding,
over $2 million dollars in Provincial funding, over $2 million dollars in other
partner funding and approximately $ 100 thousand dollars of direct “in kind”
services.
New levels of confidence and trust were gained
among the stakeholders and a great deal of enthusiasm and vested interest was
generated around the initiatives. All
of these combined factors supported the success of the initiatives.
RÉSUMÉ
Les Services communautaires et de protection
ont adopté un plan stratégique triennal pour la période 2005-2007 et une
nouvelle philosophie de prestation de services, appelée « Comment
pouvons-nous aider? », pour soutenir les activités prévues dans le plan. À
l'intérieur de ce cadre, 12 initiatives ont été ont été désignées
prioritaires :
·
Programme
de gestion des situations d'urgence
·
Planification
de voisinage
·
Ville
au travail
·
Accès
à la culture
·
Plan
d'action pour les enfants et les jeunes
·
Investissements
communautaires et culturels
·
Communauté
apprenante et alphabétisée
·
Stratégie
de promotion de l'activité physique
·
Sensibilisation
du public : sécurité et comportements sécuritaires
·
Stratégie
d'investissement dans le personnel
·
Plan
d'action pour le logement
Compte tenu du rôle que la communauté dans son
ensemble a à jouer avec la Ville d'Ottawa pour améliorer la qualité de vie des
citoyens, une approche intégrée et concertée a été retenue comme le meilleur
moyen de travailler à atteindre des buts communs. Les objectifs stratégiques du
Plan et les initiatives visent à améliorer les relations de travail existantes
et à établir de nouveaux partenariats, à développer des réseaux pour renforcer
la communication entre les parties prenantes et à accroître la capacité
communautaire de répondre aux besoins changeants des citoyens et aux enjeux
nouveaux. Le travail entrepris dans le cadre des initiatives visait également à
optimiser les occasions de coordination au sein des directions et des services
de l'administration municipale et avec les intervenants externes en vue
d'améliorer les services aux citoyens d'Ottawa.
L'effet d'ensemble du Plan stratégique des SCP
et des activités menées dans le cadre des initiatives a été considérable tant
au niveau de l'administration municipale qu'à l'échelle communautaire. Le
personnel municipal a adopté une approche plus holistique pour dégager les
enjeux et les solutions grâce à de meilleures possibilités de collaboration
entre les directions et services de l'administration municipale. La création d'équipes
multidisciplinaires a favorisé le perfectionnement du personnel, le mentorat et
la planification de la relève. L'importance accordée dans les initiatives à la
mise en place d'un service axé sur la clientèle a entraîné des améliorations
opérationnelles au chapitre de la prestation des programmes et services.
Le Plan stratégique des SCP a contribué à
accroître le nombre et la qualité des engagements communautaires. Chacune des
initiatives a comporté des consultations exhaustives avec le personnel municipal,
les résidents et les partenaires communautaires.
Plus de 900 séances ou réunions de consultation
communautaire, échelonnées tout au long de la période de trois ans et
auxquelles ont participé environ 6 000 résidents et 700 spécialistes des
affaires communautaires, ont eu lieu pendant l'élaboration et la mise en œuvre
des initiatives.
Les SCP ont réussi à obtenir, à la faveur de
ces 12 initiatives prioritaires, plus de 9 millions de dollars en fonds
fédéraux, plus de 2 millions en fonds provinciaux et plus de 2 millions
d'autres partenaires, ainsi que des services en nature d'une valeur d'environ
100 000 $.
Les parties prenantes ont acquis une assurance
et une confiance nouvelles, et les initiatives ont suscité beaucoup
d'enthousiasme et d'intérêt. Tous ces facteurs conjugués ont contribué à la
réussite des initiatives.
The creation of the newly amalgamated City of Ottawa in 2001 brought 11 area municipalities together to be governed under one governmental structure. At that time, population projections indicated that Ottawa would continue to grow over the next 20 years and demand for municipal services would, therefore, also increase. Coordinated strategic planning for this level of growth, change, opportunities and challenges was essential to preserve the qualities of the City which citizens valued.
The Ottawa 20/20 initiative began with a broad scale consultation process to engage citizens to develop a shared vision for the new City of Ottawa. The result of the feedback was a new approach to city building to address growth and five Growth Management Plans were developed to guide the development of the physical and social infrastructure for the City of Ottawa to the year 2020.
In May 2004, a new City of Ottawa organizational structure was approved which resulted in the establishment of the Community and Protective Services Department (CPS). The newly created department combined many of the services that directly provide services and programs to the citizens of Ottawa. The Community and Protective Services Department was comprised of eleven branches with diverse programs and service areas. The branches included: By-law and Regulatory Services, Fire Services, Paramedic Service, Public Health, Parks and Recreation, Employment and Financial Assistance, Housing, Long Term Care, Cultural Services and Community Funding, Office of Emergency Management and the Ottawa Public Library.
Despite the variation in branch mandates and objectives, the common purpose of CPS is to deliver client focused services, which maintain or enhance the quality of life for citizens and to assist communities to become more resilient and able to identify and resolve issues. The Deputy City Manger of the new department engaged the staff of the various branches to define the common vision to unite the branches in providing quality programs and services to the citizens. The “How Can We Help?” vision was introduced and adopted as the CPS service delivery philosophy.
In 2005, the Community and Protective Services Department Strategic Framework was created to guide the work priorities for a three-year term. The framework was implemented to ensure the work begun in Ottawa 20/20 would continue and be incorporated into the CPS planning activities. Three CPS service delivery approaches were identified to support the vision of “ How Can We Help?” and to focus on quality client service:
· Continuous Service Improvement
Within the context of the Strategic Framework, the vision and the service delivery approaches twelve priority initiatives were chosen for CPS to be implemented from 2005 to 2007. The chosen initiatives were supported through the alignment of resources and a project management approach to ensure successful outcomes and greatest impact.
The Community and Protective Services Department’s “How Can We Help?” three-year strategic plan was approved b Council at its meeting of September 28, 2005.
DISCUSSION
12 Priority Initiatives
The Emergency Management Program is responsible
for addressing potential risks and planning for large-scale emergencies and
disasters for the City of Ottawa. The initiative included the “Are You Ready?” public awareness campaign
to promote community awareness of how to be prepared. The Disaster Psychosocial
Plan was developed to address negative psychosocial impacts for residents and
responders as a result of a large-scale traumatic event. Consolidated efforts
in coordination and planning gave rise to the Emergency Social Services Team
that combines CPS branch efforts in providing a range of products and services
to persons affected by a disaster. Other accomplishments include:
· Implemented a City wide “Are You
Ready?” public awareness campaign on emergency
preparedness, providing educational materials in five languages resulting in improved
level of access for citizens.
· Acquired
a Mobile Emergency Treatment and Rehabilitation Unit available for
deployment in large-scale emergencies.
· Seventy internal staff and external
partners attended a Basic
Emergency Management
Training Program.
· 2007 City Council approved Municipal
Evacuation Plan
The Community and Protective Services
Department orchestrated the first city wide place-based customized approach to
address the strategic infrastructure and service needs of a community. The
three City departments of Community and Protective Services, Public Works and
Services and Transit and the Environment joined together to collaborate in the
innovative neighbourhood planning process. Partnerships were formed with
research-based institutions to determine the best methods to engage the
community. Two pilot neighbourhoods were chosen for the initiative and members
from the communities were invited to participate in working collaboratively and
planning for their community. Opportunities for changes and improvements in the
community were identified.
Neighbourhood Planning provides a best practice process for integrated
infrastructure, social and service planning to resolve issues at the community
level, which may be applied in other scenarios. The NPI:
·
Held
more than 40 meetings with the Hintonburg and Vars communities to initiate the
collaborative planning process to build better communities.
·
Analysed
more than 1500 individual surveys identifying areas for change.
·
Held a
competition for local artists to provide art along Wellington Street.
·
Developed
neighbourhood plans for Hintonburg and Vars in fall 2008.
The goal of this initiative was to assist
Ontario Works participants in securing sustainable employment. A number of
research projects, employment interventions and marketing tools were created to
further this objective. Service enhancements within the Employment and
Financial Assistance Branch had a direct impact on the number of clients who
secured and maintained employment and who reported employment earnings from
2005-2007.
·
Contributed
to the increase of more than 3000 families who became financially self sufficient
from 2005-2007.
·
Contributed
to the increased average monthly employment earnings declared by families.
·
Identified
60 paid and unpaid employment opportunities within the City of Ottawa available
to Ontario Works participants.
The cultural experience for the City of Ottawa was enhanced through
increased avenues of funding to stabilize the community cultural
infrastructure. Formalized agreements were negotiated with partners to
facilitate the development of cultural facilities, such as the Shenkman Art
Centre and the Irving Greenberg Theatre. Collaboration with the National
Capital Commission and the City of Gatineau brought about the on-line calendar
of local cultural events. The work of this initiative has made the cultural
infrastructure in Ottawa more sustainable and ready for future growth through:
·
$6.3
million invested in operating and capital funding for local museums
·
$2.5
million invested in operating of local arts, festivals, fairs and special
events
·
Received a $1
million donation for the Shenkman Arts Centre in the east end of the City
Children and Youth Agenda
The Children and Youth Agenda initiative included a
partnership with United Way/Centraide Ottawa to conduct an engagement strategy
to create a community led vision and framework to determine the best supports
for children and youth in Ottawa. Evidence-based research was gathered to
determine the critical influencing factors for a holistic approach to healthy
development. Several examples of collaborative activities emanated from the
initiative.
·
With
the assistance of many service providers, reached out to hear from over one
thousand children, youth and parents with respect to what was important to them
in terms of healthy child and youth development.
·
Created
a Framework for Promoting Healthy Child and Youth Development which, with its
four key elements, influencing factors and priority outcomes, creates a common
language among child and youth service providers to help focus the community’s
collective and collaborative efforts.
·
Electronic
service inventory created to help staff provide more holistic service
A Community Funding Framework was developed to
address all funding mechanisms and to align funding allocations to departmental
and corporate priorities. Service agreements were negotiated and enhanced to
include a risk assessment criteria and to determine the appropriate length of
the agreement (from 1-3 years). Two annual community service provider
recognition events were held to formally recognize the contribution made by
community organizations that received Community Project Funding. The CI
initiative also:
·
Negotiated
Service agreements with community organizations to clearly identify the
purpose of funding, roles and responsibilities, terms and conditions and
reporting requirements.
·
Delivered
information sessions on the Community Project Funding application process to
provide organizations with a better understanding of the purpose of community
funding and to simplify the application process.
·
Development
of a Policy Framework to improve communication and enhance collaboration
between the Coalition of Community Houses and the Coalition of Community Health
and Resource Centers with the goal of improved customer service.
The Ottawa Public Library (OPL) initiative had
a focus on building partnerships to improve the library experience of
newcomers, persons with disabilities and adult literacy learners. Some examples
of the activities of this initiative are: the successful delivery of homework
help sessions to high school students, computer literacy courses, availability
of Canadian National Institute for the Blind materials at the OPL (through a
partnership with VISUNET), and settlement services offered by newcomer
Information Officers at the OPL. Several noteworthy highlights include:
·
Provided a minimum of 100 computer literacy courses
annually.
·
Implemented assistive technology at 10 OPL sites.
·
Established
significant partnerships with the Ottawa Community Coalition for Literacy, 5
Ottawa-based settlement agencies, Citizenship and Immigration Canada,
Settlement Workers in Schools Program, other Ontario public libraries, and the
Canadian National Institute for the Blind.
The Physical Activity Strategy placed emphasis
on the benefits of prevention of disease and injury through exercise, nutrition
and recreation programs to improve self-esteem. A variety of activities were
initiated through collaboration with partners interested in promoting healthy
lifestyle. Some examples of these service integration opportunities are: the
Healthy Heart Hockey awareness campaign was introduced in Ottawa to prevent
heart attacks among recreational hockey players and the St-Laurent Friendly
Corner which promotes physical activities for seniors in a safe and social
environment, and;
·
Implemented
“Try it” Campaign for which 80% of users registered for programs after trying
activity for free.
·
Outfitted
more than 460 children with skates and helmets to help them try a new
activity in skating classes through the I ♥ 2 Skate program.
·
Reached
more than 1100 homebound Seniors citywide with the “Home Support Exercise
Program”
This initiative combined the efforts of Ottawa
Fire Services, Ottawa Paramedic Services and Ottawa Public Health to increase
the level of public education around the safety issues of school-aged children.
The collaboration of the three CPS branches demonstrated in the work of this
initiative is an example of the benefits and success of increased integration
and coordination about safety messages to specific populations. Targeted safety
messages were adapted to a seasonal cycle to best capture interest of children
ages five to fourteen. The Swim to Survive Program was initiated to prevent
drowning and swimming related casualties among grade three students in
participating schools. The first comprehensive safety brochure for the city was
provided to the Ottawa Safety Council for use in the re-development of the
Safety Village. This initiative;
·
Analysed local injury data to provide priority areas
and targets for public education messages resulting in the identification of
the top causes of injuries for children of various ages.
·
Taught 196 grade 3 students what to do in the event
that they fall in the water unexpectedly through the Swim to Survive Program
·
Promoted
12 seasonal safety messages in 8 pilot schools.
This initiative was internally directed to
promote City staff engagement and a positive work environment throughout the
Community and Protective Services Department. Mechanisms were put in place to
solicit input and feedback from staff and to ensure that Staff Investment
workgroups were representative of the branches and units. Tools were put in
place to recognize the efforts and contribution of staff. The strategy was
instrumental in improved focus on the most valuable asset of CPS- “our people”.
·
88 managers and supervisors received training on
completing the performance appraisals
·
899 Corporate Recognition Awards were presented to
staff in 2007, which was an increase of 30% over 2006
·
Over 2000 staff surveys were completed in 2007 with
results indicating employee satisfaction increasing between 4 and 12% in many
areas such as relationship with management, opportunity for input and feedback,
recognition and performance appraisal, and work processes compared to 2005.
This agenda resulted in the development of the
first comprehensive City of Ottawa Housing Strategy, which included of all
three levels of government and diverse community groups. This initiative built community capacity
around housing and homelessness in Ottawa and facilitated long-term planning for
the continuum of housing supports and services required for citizens. The
agenda solidified the notion that housing is not just shelter – it is a
combination of many variables that enable residents to live in stable,
affordable housing in Ottawa. Some of the successes of this initiative include
housing loss prevention services and the construction of affordable housing
units and;
·
A comprehensive City Housing Strategy was adopted by
Council in 2007 which focused on three strategic directions: building healthy,
inclusive, sustainable communities; promoting and preserving affordable
housing; and meeting the needs for supports to housing.
·
The Housing Loss Prevention Network assisted a total of
7164 households in 2007.
·
More than 250 affordable housing units were made
available across the city.
Seniors Agenda
The Seniors Agenda focus was to
build capacity to identify senior’s issues and opportunities to meet the need
in creative ways. Following a series of consultations, three top action areas
were agreed upon: communication about services, transportation and housing.
Ottawa’s first city wide Seniors Day Celebration was held to commemorate the
contributions of seniors to the community in which a brochure outlining the
available services was available and a web page for seniors was created on Ottawa.ca.
Select service enhancements were also made to adjust to the needs of seniors in
the areas of taxation, snow removal, public transportation and “Aging in Place”
housing, including;
· 18,000 copies of the “Services for Seniors” Brochure were distributed to seniors through the Client Service Centres as well as many hospitals campuses and other community partners
· Over 350 seniors participated in the Seniors Day Celebration at City Hall.
·
In partnership with United Way, developed an
“Affordable Supportive Housing Framework” to inform service providers including
the Champlain Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) and private investors
about the housing needs of seniors and strategies required to support seniors
in aging well at home.
The CPS Strategic Plan, the “How Can We Help?”
service philosophy and the 12 initiatives contributed to the reinforcement of
general concepts, knowledge and some new lessons for CPS staff. Engagement with
customers is paramount in defining the services and examining how the services
respond to the need. The value of understanding the unique and varied needs of
the client must not be underestimated. Service excellence is achieved through
the active engagement of staff in the delivery of services and ensuring the
connection through the common service delivery philosophy of “How Can We Help?”
The work of the past three years has also validated the practice of looking at
“place” as a method or approach to service delivery and creating healthy
communities and individuals.
Throughout the course of the three-year term,
more than 900 community consultation sessions or meeting were held.
Approximately 6000 residents and 700 community experts were consulted for the
development and implementation of the initiatives.
There are
no financial implications associated with this report.
Document 1: Community and Protective Services Department Strategic Plan 2005-2007 Final Report