DOCUMENT 1
Community and Protective Services
DOCUMENT 1
1.1
Introduction
1.2 Background
2.1 ..... Overall Impact
2.2 ..... City Impact
2.3 ..... Community Impact
3.1 ..... Emergency Management Program
3.2 ..... Neighbourhood Planning
3.3 ..... Working City
3.4 ..... Access to Culture
3.5 ..... Children and Youth Agenda
3.6 ..... Community Investment
3.7 ..... Learning and Literate Community
3.8 ..... Physical Activity Strategy
3.9 ..... Public Education: Safety and Safe Behaviour
3.10 .. Staff Investment Strategy
3.11 .. Housing Agenda
3.12 .. Seniors Agenda
4.1 ..... Closeout Plan and Next Steps
In
2005, the Community and Protective Services Department (CPS) created a new CPS
strategic framework for the delivery of services and a three-year plan. The
strategic plan resulted in the identification of 12 priority initiatives
anchored in a common purpose, an overall “How Can We Help?” service delivery
philosophy that have been successfully implemented over the last two
years.
This final
report provides information on the outcome of the 2005-2007 CPS Strategic Plan
and highlights results from all twelve priority initiatives that have
significantly enhanced the CPS service delivery approaches of building collaborative
communities, focusing on prevention and on continuous service improvement. The implementation of the priority
initiatives has had a significant and positive impact on community partners,
the citizens of Ottawa and on City staff through a fundamental change of focus
of CPS services towards the needs of clients.
The priority initiatives have fostered a new level of
trust and collaboration with our community partners and city residents through
consultation, engagement and collaboration on issues that matter most to
them. This created not only a renewed
focus but also excitement about possible outcomes that could not have been
realized without strong partnerships. By building this energy around key
issues, the initiatives facilitated leveraged funding and in kind service
opportunities towards community outcomes that would not have existed otherwise.
There have been numerous examples of increased coordination
and collaboration between branches within the CPS department, as well as
between CPS and other City departments, thereby, creating service efficiencies
and eliminating service gaps. The implementation of the “How Can We Help?” service delivery
philosophy was the cornerstone of a client-focused culture within the CPS
department.
Although December 31st, 2007 marked the
official end of the 2005-2007 CPS Strategic Plan, the CPS Senior Management
Team and the CPS department staff are working on sustaining the momentum and
continuing to build on the successes of the initiatives. Of the 12 priority projects, 9 have been
completed as CPS priority initiatives.
Programs and activities initiated as part of the initiative have been
moved to operations within branches, with the exception of the Emergency
Management Program, which will continue reporting to the corporation as a
mandated program and corporate priority. The three remaining projects: Neighbourhood Planning, Children and Youth
Agenda, Staff Investment Strategy will be completed in 2008 and will be
integrated into the on-going operations of the Department.
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.
CPS has identified neighbourhoods, children and youth,
staff and seniors as
strategically important in moving forward. A transition plan for these and
other departmental priority areas, such as Aboriginal and Immigration is
presently under development to support and inform a CPS Community Development
Framework. This framework development will include the creation of
cross-functional teams, networks, partnerships, training and service integration
opportunities.
The 2005-2007 Strategic Plan was an enormous success
for the CPS Department. The work of the priority initiatives gave the CPS
Department a unique identity within the corporation as exemplified in the
service delivery approach of “How can we help?” The CPS Department is positioned as a
leader, having demonstrated the value of collaborative efforts. The completion
of the three-year strategic plan was the precursor to the objective of
implementing long-term systemic changes for continuing an enhanced client
service focus. The factors driving the
need for change include a changing demographic base, diverse customer needs and
an evolving workforce.
1.1
Introduction
In
2005, the Community and Protective Services Department (CPS) created a new CPS
strategic framework and a three-year plan. The strategic framework was
used to prioritize the CPS work plan in support of achieving the Ottawa 20/20
vision. The
strategic plan resulted in the adoption of the “How Can We Help?” philosophy
and identification of the following 12 priority initiatives that have been
successfully completed:
·
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
·
Seniors Agenda
This final
report provides details on the outcome of the 2005-2007 CPS Strategic Plan and
illustrates how the 12 priority initiatives have significantly enhanced CPS’ service delivery
approaches of building collaborative communities, focusing on prevention and
focusing on continuous service improvement. The positive impact that the implementation of the
initiatives has had on City staff, on community partners and the citizens of
Ottawa is outlined in this report.
1.2 Background
In 2001, the City of Ottawa undertook a process where the
community collaborated in developing a shared vision in managing change and
growth for Ottawa. The Ottawa 20/20 Growth Management Strategy represented a
new approach to City building. The plan developed a framework for managing
growth over the next twenty years in ways that reinforced the qualities that
are most valued by the City’s citizens; the availability of high-quality
services, innovative economic development and exciting job opportunities,
livable communities, diverse artistic and cultural life, varied housing forms,
green and open spaces, and the heritage landmarks and landforms that
distinguish Ottawa from other cities.
The 20/20 growth plan was based on seven guiding principles:
·
A caring and inclusive City.
·
A responsible and responsive City.
·
A green and environmentally sensitive City.
·
A City of distinct, livable communities.
·
A healthy and active City.
·
An innovative City where prosperity is shared among all.
·
A creative City rich in heritage, unique in identity.
In May 2004, the City of Ottawa presented a new
organizational structure to achieve a number of objectives including support
for the Ottawa 20/20 Growth Management Strategy, more effective service
alignment and improved overall accountability.
As part of the restructuring, the Community and Protective
Services Department was established. This change brought together many of the
service areas that touch the lives of Ottawa citizens everyday. The newly
formed CPS Department included the branches of: By-law and Regulatory Services, Cultural Services and Community
Funding, Emergency Measures Unit, Employment and Financial Assistance, Fire
Services, Housing, the Ottawa Public Library, Long Term Care, Paramedic
Service, Parks and Recreation and Public Health. Bringing these branches and
service areas together in the CPS Department allowed for a more holistic
approach in serving citizens and communities.
The unique and individual needs of varying communities were recognized
and celebrated, allowing for the development of targeted solutions to meet the
specific community need.
Although each of the CPS branches and service areas has
specialized mandates and objectives, there is a common purpose for the
department and all of the eleven branches. In an effort to define the common
vision that unites CPS and connects over 4,200 CPS staff members working
throughout the branches, the CPS management team held a variety of working
sessions with staff. The vision “How
Can We Help?” was adopted as the CPS service delivery philosophy. The focus has
been providing client focused services, enabling communities to build their own
capacity to identify and solve issues, and providing citizens opportunities to
maintain or improve their quality of life.
The Department as a whole has strived to make a difference
in the community by bringing together internal and external expertise and
resources to focus efforts to best meet the diverse needs of citizens and
neighborhoods. The CPS Departmental vision of How Can We Help included the need
to reconnect City staff to frontline service areas and, ultimately, to the
citizen requesting those services.
The development of the Community and Protective Services
Department Strategic
Framework in 2005 guided the work priorities of the
department and provided a vision of how to strengthen the connections between
the portfolio of City programs and the citizens of Ottawa. To achieve this
vision, CPS identified the service delivery philosophy of “How Can We Help?”
and three service delivery approaches and 12 departmental initiatives
How Can We
Help?
The CPS Strategic Plan created synergy within the Department
that brought the “How Can We Help?” vision to life and created a client
service focused culture.
The new vision and philosophy prompted a redefinition of the
services and programs provided to citizens by connecting the expertise of City
staff at various levels of the organization to the community partners. The plan encouraged a systematic approach to
both inter-branch and external consultation with the goals of improving existing
relationships, building new networks, facilitating change, and increasing
community capacity.
The City of Ottawa is comprised of many communities with
unique needs, strengths, and profiles. Understanding that one size does not fit
all, CPS consulted and collaborated to endeavor to customize service delivery
and program development to meet the needs of varying communities.
The three-year plan and priorities empowered communities to
improve the quality of life for their residents. The CPS department recognized
that the City is one member in a larger community comprised of citizens,
numerous service providers, various community associations, two other levels of
government, and other stakeholders who are responsible for collaborating to
improve the quality of life in communities.
CPS identified three service delivery approaches in
providing services to residents:
1.
The first service delivery approach, focusing on
prevention, placed emphasis on shifting the focus of programs and services
from a reactive to a pro-active approach, from addressing emerging needs to
addressing possible root causes of the need, thereby, reducing the demand for
service.
2.
The second service delivery approach was building
collaborative communities. This service delivery approach mobilized
community assets and resources to assist with identifying and achieving
community goals.
3.
The final service deliver approach was focusing on
continuous service improvement. The changing demographics and political environment
required CPS to respond to unprecedented fiscal challenges while remaining
strongly committed to serving the community.
The three
service delivery approaches and the commitment to the vision “How Can We Help?” service philosophy guided
the identification of the 12 priority initiatives. The 12 initiatives were
identified to strategically address the needs of particular demographic groups
(i.e. seniors, children and youth), to test innovative delivery methods and to collectively
respond to community issues. The development and implementation of the 12
priority initiatives required a strategic allocation of dedicated resources in
order to ensure the initiatives would have the best outcomes and the greatest
impact.
2.1 Overall Impact
The work undertaken by the priority initiative teams
had a significant impact on the CPS department, other city departments, our
clients and the community at large. These impacts may be categorized as
internal and external: the City of Ottawa and the community partners and
members. The most notable benefit realized from the initiatives was that
working collaboratively towards shared objectives and goals result in more
creative, effective and efficient solutions.
This new way of working together to approach issues has permeated the
community and been embraced by the CPS Department.
2.2 City Impact
Improved Internal Collaboration: Many of the priority
initiatives encouraged and fostered internal collaborative opportunities. The
priority initiative teams worked creatively across branches and departments to
ensure that the expertise required for the creation of holistic solutions was
fully utilized. The collaboration between front line staff, managers, directors
and deputy city managers facilitated significant learning opportunities, the
creation of cross- departmental best practices and a shared sense of
accomplishment. City staff adopted a holistic approach to resolving problems
through a more thorough understanding of issues and effective determination of
parties involved in the problem solving and solution. The creation of a working environment based on collaboration and
a shared ownership ensured that the branches and/or departments involved were
focused on the common solution, which ultimately enhanced outcomes.
Leading by Example: CPS Directors in their role as initiative
champions encouraged the multi-disciplinary teams to create new and innovative
solutions. Several examples of these solutions are: the creation of
inter-branch materials for the community to market services with common themes
and goals, an invitation for the community to help plan their neighbourhood,
celebration events to recognize the valuable contributions of citizens, and the
development of effective partnerships with schools to deliver safety messages
to children. City staff were empowered
by creating an environment where work across branches and departments was
encouraged and barriers and impediments to delivering quality client service
were removed. CPS staff supported each other in accomplishing common goals and
have gained the experience and knowledge required to undertake other similar
ventures with greater ease. The three-year priority initiatives promoted staff
development and succession planning with many opportunities for mentoring and
coaching by staff.
Leveraged Funding: In order to move the initiatives forward the
initiative team members made a commitment to connect with the community, the
private sector and other levels of government to explore common issues and
potential funding opportunities. Through the twelve priority initiatives, CPS
leveraged more than nine million dollars in Federal funding, over two million
dollars in Provincial funding, over two million dollars in other partner
funding and over one hundred thousand dollars of direct “in kind” services”.
The leveraged funding enhanced the success of the initiatives and created a
common problem solving structure under which these groups can work again in the
future.
Operational Enhancements: The initiatives included a
focus on creating quality service within CPS branches to better meet the needs
of our changing demographics. Three main questions were posed in relation to
each service area: who are our clients, what do clients need, and how best can
we meet those needs? The Working City
Initiative, Community Investment and Building a Learning and Literate Community
demonstrated this particular emphasis.
In each of these initiatives, the CPS Department focused on creating new
services to streamline with existing services to make the most impact on
communities. These service changes were then incorporated into the branch
operations to ensure effective resource utilization and sustainability. The
Seniors Agenda and the Children and Youth Agenda project teams proposed changes
to the way in which the City engages with and serves those specific demographic
groups. Aspiring to service excellence
ensured that the CPS vision “How Can We Help” became the norm in providing high
quality service to the diverse citizens of Ottawa.
2.3 Community Impact
Enhanced Community Involvement: The most significant impact
was on the community perception of the City. In total, more than 1,200
community consultation meetings/sessions were held from 2005 to 2007, in which
the opinions of close to 8,000 residents and approximately 900 community
experts were collected. In addition, countless individual surveys were
completed on various subjects related to the 12 initiatives. Many community
partners and citizens responded favourably to staff inquiries. Subsequently,
the community partners and citizens became enthusiastic about working
collaboratively with staff to identify and resolve issues and a new level of
understanding and trust between the City and the community has been
gained. The work of the priority
initiative teams resulted in the identification of opportunities and the
development and/or enhancement of over 150 partnerships with community agencies
and other levels of government. These
partnerships helped to create efficiencies through identification of service
gaps and duplication and an overall streamlining of resources.
Section 3: Priority Initiatives
Highlights
Each of the 12 priority
initiatives contributed to the overall success of the 2005-2007 CPS Strategic
Plan. The following section summarizes the highlights and key success areas of
the initiatives.
3.1 Emergency Management Program
The Emergency Management Program (EMP)
had 29 sub-projects identified for implementation, which have ensured that the
City is in full compliance with current legislated requirements, while also
addressing Ottawa’s specific risks.
This program positions the City to effectively meet emerging legislative
standards and manage emergencies. Since this program’s inception, there has
been enhanced collaboration and communication on emergency management
initiatives across City departments, branches and services and with external
partners.
The “Are You Ready?” Public Awareness
Campaign was implemented and the community awareness and preparedness for
emergencies was increased across the entire City and within hard to reach
populations (information was disseminated in five languages). The campaign
informed Ottawa citizens about how to be better prepared in the event of an
emergency, how to create emergency plans and which items to include in an
emergency kit. The importance of acquiring First Aid and CPR skills was also
emphasized in the campaign.
The Disaster Psychosocial Plan was
developed to provide disaster psychosocial planners, managers, responders and
community partners within the city of Ottawa with operational procedures to be
followed when implementing disaster psychosocial programs following a
large-scale disaster or traumatic event. Community partners, social service
agencies, and municipal responders were assembled to develop the plan and
protocols necessary to be prepared in the event of a disaster in Ottawa. The
plan was developed to mitigate the psychosocial impacts to residents and
responders.
Three distinct outreach programs were
developed as part of the plan: Community Outreach, First Responders (CISM), and
the Employee Assistance Program. The plan was built on the existing Municipal
Emergency Plan and the standard operating procedures of the City of Ottawa. The
plan describes how an evacuation or shelter-in-place will be managed including
the coordination structure and specific to general functions. These
interventions are aimed at addressing elevated levels of mental stress during
and after an emergency, in addition to reducing or eliminating the potential
long-term negative mental health effects on the victims, their families, the
community and responders.
The creation of the Exercise and Training Program
built on the City employee skill level in managing emergencies and enhanced
collaboration across departments, branches and services. Over 70 internal staff
and external partners received this training.
The
consolidated effort in planning and preparation for the EMP has proven to be
very successful. An example of success in coordinated planning is the Emergency Social Services (ESS) team, which
is comprised of staff from the CPS branches of Employment and Financial
Assistance, Parks and Recreation, Housing, Ottawa Public Library, Strategic
Initiatives and Business Planning, and Ottawa Public Health. This team provides
food, clothing, and reception and lodging, personal services, registration and
inquiry, and public health services for those affected by an emergency
situation.
Emergency Management Ontario presented the City of Ottawa and community partners with a letter of achievement to recognize the
assistance with the evacuation and housing of 278 evacuees from the Kashechewan
community. Another demonstration of success of the EMP was the effort with
the repatriation of Lebanese Canadians, which was formally acknowledged by the
Province of Ontario in a letter of gratitude to the City of Ottawa.
Although this
CPS priority initiative was completed in December 2007, the work will continue
as a crucial program within the corporation. Ottawa continues to lead Canadian
municipalities in the area of Emergency Management. The partnerships and
relationships with other levels of government, local hospitals, the Red Cross,
the Salvation Army and many other partners committed to emergency planning
facilitated the best possible plan for response and provisions to our community
in the event of an emergency.
3.2
Neighbourhood Planning
The Neighbourhood Planning Initiative (NPI) involved three
City departments: Public Works and Services, Planning, Transit and the
Environment, and Community and Protective Services. The NPI had considerable
impact on cross-departmental collaboration and resulted in a significant shift
in departmental cultures. This initiative was developed in partnership with
researched-based institutions to assist in determining how best to engage our
communities. The focus on collaboration and extensive consultation resulted in
clear benefits to the final products that emerged during the first three years
of the Neighbourhood Planning initiative. Some examples of potential solutions
to be considered for the Hintonburg Neighbourhood Planning Initiative
include: the green roofs project
that would pilot the introduction of green roofs intended to prolong the life
cycle of the storm sewer system by delaying the run off during rainstorms
and the introduction of a new designated bicycle route to be added
along Spencer and Armstrong.
The NPI team developed a
place-based customized process approach defining the long-term look and feel of
a neighbourhood through strategic infrastructure and service planning in
addressing the unique needs and issues facing a community. This approach opened
doors to creative solutions that made a significant difference at the
neighbourhood level. Some examples of
potential solutions to be considered for the Hintonburg NPI include: the green roofs project that would
pilot the introduction of green roofs intended to prolong the life cycle of the
storm sewer system by delaying the run off during rainstorms and the
introduction of a new designated safe bicycle route through the neighbourhood.
Also, as part of the Wellington Street West Reconstruction, the community
benefited from the City of Ottawa Public Art Program, which provides a
percentage of funds for municipal development projects to be set aside for
public art. Nineteen local artists provided submissions with the winning artist
and design to be announced shortly.
In Vars, where the Neighbourhood Planning Initiative process began in
Sept. 2007, creative recommendations are being developed to address the unique
needs of the community.
The in-depth consultation process undertaken within this initiative has
included over 85 meetings and 5 surveys (approximately 1700 individual surveys
were analyzed). The intense level of
community engagement ensured that the residents of the two pilot sites had
meaningful and significant input into the look and feel of the neighbourhood they
reside in. The consultation process was
also a means of testing a defined process of community engagement. This result
of the NPI consultation effort was the creation of a clear sense of ownership
and pride for residents and a true investment and interest in the outcome of
the NPI. The commitment of the community has been remarkable and all of the
departments involved acknowledged the benefits of working collaboratively.
This initiative successfully demonstrated a new way for the City and the
community to work together to identify the long-term strategic infrastructure
and service needs of the community. The Neighbourhood Planning Initiative
provides a best practice process for integrated service and infrastructure
planning. The Neighbourhood Planning Initiative teamwork will continue to the
end of 2008 to ensure quality around the evaluation and reporting to Council on
the pilots.
3.3 Working City
The Working City Initiative was designed to
assist Ontario Works (OW) participants in securing sustainable employment. This
Employment and Financial, Assistance (EFA) initiative involved a number of
research projects, implementation and evaluation of employment interventions
and opportunities, and the redevelopment of a marketing campaign.
The dedicated efforts of the Working City Initiative
project team contributed to the overall goal of assisting OW participants in
securing sustainable employment through the development of a number of key
partnerships with internal and external stakeholders. The work of the team
fostered and supported internal collaboration within the Employment and
Financial Assistance Branch
With a focus on continuous improvement, the branch
has evaluated the impact of pilot projects, developed best practices and
redesigned the employment service delivery model. Marketing tools were
developed to successfully promote programs and services to both OW participants
and to potential employers in Ottawa.
The service enhancements created as a result of the
work undertaken in this initiative had a direct impact on the number of clients
who secured and maintained employment throughout the three-year timeframe. The
Ontario Works caseload decreased from roughly 17,500 in 2005 to 15,300 in
2007. These figures represent more than
2,200 financially self-sufficient families who no longer required the support
of Ontario Works. In addition to the overall decrease in the number of persons
requiring Ontario Works, the average monthly employment earnings declared by
families increased from 2005 to 2007, indicative of an improved level of financial
independence. Also, 60 paid and unpaid employment opportunities within the City of
Ottawa were identified as available to Ontario Works participants.
The evaluation of this branch wide initiative revealed important information about service integration improvements and opportunities in the Employment and Financial Assistance Branch of CPS. Upon completion of this initiative in December 2007, a new team was created in the Employment and Community Programs Division of EFA to maintain and support the service enhancements created as a result of the Working City Initiative.
3.3
Access to Culture
The Access to Culture Initiative enhanced the
city of Ottawa cultural experience for both residents and visitors alike. The
accomplishments of this initiative include; increased funding to local arts and
heritage organizations to stabilize the cultural community infrastructure,
improved access to cultural programs, and the development of formal agreements
with community partners who demonstrated capacity for continued growth and
success in contribution to the vibrant cultural experience in Ottawa.
This initiative facilitated operational and
organizational stability for local cultural organizations and enhanced the
capacity to leverage new funds from other private sources and levels of
government, thereby, further generating new potential sources of revenue. A
direct result of this initiative was the preservation of the existing municipal
investment in local cultural infrastructure including the operation of cultural
programs and services. The work
undertaken by the initiative project team to continue to provide for rich
culture in the city in the face of fiscal challenges is a testament to the CPS
commitment to continuous service improvement.
The efforts of the initiative team to create a more diverse cultural
experience within the city resulted in an additional investment of $6.3 million
in operating and capital funding for local museums. Additional funds of $2.5 million were realized for the operation
of local arts, festivals, fairs, and special events organizations.
Consistent with the CPS service delivery approach of
building collaborative communities, Cultural Services (CS) developed and
formalized partnerships and service agreements with 20 cultural services providers
in Ottawa. These essential key
partnerships advanced and supported the overall development and improvement of
the cultural facilities and assets in the Ottawa community. Some examples
include: a public-private partnership for the creation of the new Shenkman Art
Centre, financial support obtained from the Province of Ontario for the
relocation of the City Archives, and the completion of an agreement with a
funding allocation $1.3 million with the Great Canadian Theatre Company for the
successful grand opening of the Irving Greenberg Theatre.
This initiative provided critical leadership in the
implementation of mechanisms to support community capacity in the development
of cultural ventures such as the development of the Ottawa Museum Network as
part of the Museum Sustainability Plan.
The establishment of 8 steering committees to assist with the
development and implementation of capital projects and to support the operation
of cultural programs and services. More effective collaboration with the cultural
community was a direct impact of the Access to Culture initiative.
Three new online calendars were developed and
launched to promote greater ease of access to a consolidated calendar of
cultural events for the greater Ottawa area. This comprehensive arts, heritage,
festival, and entertainment event database was facilitated through a
partnership with the National Capital Commission and the City of Gatineau.
The Access to Culture initiative made Ottawa a more
culturally rich and diverse place in which to live and to visit. The immense
amount of work completed within this initiative was systematically incorporated
into the branch operations in order to ensure sustainability and future growth
in the area of culture.
3.5 Children and Youth Agenda
The Children and Youth Agenda (CYA)
facilitated the development of the community led vision and framework to
determine the best supports for improving the life chances of children and
youth in Ottawa.
The CYA team employed the service delivery approach
of building collaborative communities and partnered with United Way to conduct
an extensive engagement strategy with the Ottawa community. The consultation
was a means to jointly explore and create the shared vision and framework. The
CYA engaged approximately 350 service providers, 1,700 children twelve years of
age, 550 youth, and 300 parents/guardians to accurately represent Ottawa’s
population.
The Healthy Development Framework identified priority
areas for action around children and youth needs. Information and
evidence-based research was gathered to assist in the identification of the
critical influencing factors to promote a holistic approach to healthy child
and youth development. Through careful attention to the outlined priority areas
of healthy development, the focus is on minimizing, reducing and preventing
barriers and impediments to overall child and youth health (consistent with the
CPS focus on prevention service delivery approach). Common language was used to
ensure that all stakeholders would understand and easily identify the
components required for a holistic approach to healthy development. The
framework is a central tool for the community and the CPS department to ensure
future service integration and service excellence for the children and youth of
Ottawa.
The work of the CYA created and strengthened
important relationships within the community, fostered collaborative
initiatives, addressed service gaps, and reduced duplication in service in
meeting the needs of children and youth in Ottawa. Several examples of the
results of the CYA team in the creation of synergies in the area of planning
are: the consolidation of 4 planning groups to form the Ottawa Network for
Children and the consolidation of 9 separate planning tables to support the
effective planning for Early Years’ Service Hubs.
The focus on the service delivery approach of
continuous improvement was exemplified in the introduction of a centralized
waiting list for licensed centre based child care options for families and the
creation of a service inventory for children and youth posted on Ozone. The
initiative built competencies around optimal child and youth development
through the support of quality programs such as summer camp experiences for
children with special needs, access to Bully Prevention Kits available at the
Ottawa Public Library Branches throughout the city and the pilot of an
accreditation tool for use by childcare service providers to assess and address
program quality indicators.
CYA activities will continue into 2008 to ensure that
the framework is fully integrated and utilized and to ensure that the success
of the partnerships created by the CYA will continue to influence work within
the CPS branches and in the community at large to promote child and youth health
for years to come.
3.6 Community Investment
The Community Investment Initiative (CI) made
considerable innovative changes to branch operations and services to support
the CPS “How Can We Help” vision and to focus on continuous service improvement.
The CI initiative team developed a Community Funding
Framework to assist in defining how to best support valuable community services
for the citizens of Ottawa. The
framework addresses all funding mechanisms, promotes improved access to funding
for community groups and aligns funding priorities to departmental and
corporate priorities.
Service agreements were successfully negotiated with
community service organizations with clearly identified purpose and objectives
of funding, roles and responsibilities, terms and conditions, and reporting
requirements. Risk assessment criteria were introduced to determine the
appropriate length of a service agreement (from one to three years), which
allowed for more stability of community service provisions within the
community. These service agreement enhancements resulted in a more streamlined
and managed funding process with increased accountability mechanisms in place
for funding contributions.
The Community Funding (CF) goal is to support
community service providers to better serve the citizens of the community in
which they operate. The funding provided to the agencies is intended to build
collaborative communities and to ensure that Ottawa citizens have access to
high quality community based services.
The first ever community service provider formal
recognition ceremony was held to acknowledge and recognize 42 non-profit
community organizations that received Community Project Funding. The Mayor of the City of Ottawa presented
certificates of acknowledgement to each organization. The second annual
recognition ceremony acknowledged 33 organizations and heard testimony from 4
agencies that received project funding.
These events provide the City with an opportunity to recognize the
importance of building collaborative communities with service providers and to
celebrate the truly remarkable work that occurs in the community.
The CI initiative was completed in December 2007. In
recognition of the positive impact the initiative had on the relationships with
agencies and the quality of service agreements, the Cultural Services &
Community Funding Branch of CPS have fully integrated the initiative activities
into operations. Further opportunities for service excellence through
integration of services and/or service enhancement will be explored as a result
of the work of the CI priority initiative.
3.7 Learning and Literate Community
The Learning and Literate Community Initiative (LLC) significantly improved the library experience of many
residents in Ottawa, particularly newcomers, people with disabilities and adult
literacy learners. The LLC initiative team focused on building sustainable
partnerships with strong community agencies and utilized creativity and
innovation to ensure the Ottawa Public Library (OPL) services evolved to meet
the changing needs of our community. One such example of an innovative outcome
is the successful partnership with the VISUNET program to provide access to the
Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) materials. The materials
include digital books online, digital audio, Braille, descriptive videos, and
CNIB Digital Library and Children’s Discovery Portal. The partnership with CNIB permits people with visual impairments
to access resources and opportunities for learning.
The LLC team delivered over 100 computer literacy
courses and more than 50 homework help sessions annually to high school
students, which made an impact on individual lives and on the overall health of
the community through focus on improved literacy and promotion of learning.
A partnership with five local settlement agencies
enabled new immigrants to access settlement services from Newcomer Information
Officers at nine of the Ottawa Public Library branches. The officers link
families to community services, coordinate and deliver information sessions on
issues such as education and employment, and offer multicultural children’s
programs. This integration of services for newcomers provided a “one stop shop”
approach with links to the services and information most needed by newcomers in
a timely fashion.
An essential part of the LLC initiative was to create
opportunities within our community for new immigrants to develop literacy and
essential skills. In partnership with the Ottawa Community Coalition for
Literacy, OPL developed a manual to introduce adult learners to the services of
the library. Getting to Know the Library/Apprendre à connaître la
bibliothèque was successfully piloted. This is one way in which the OPL is
reaching out to adult learners to help build confidence and make them feel
comfortable in the library.
The Project Manager for this initiative was named the
winner of the 2008 Ontario Public Library Association’s First Annual Leadership
in Adult Readers Advisory Services Award due, in part, to the success of LLC
priority initiative. The Ottawa Public Library is now increasingly recognized
as a valued leader and partner in Ottawa literacy, with newcomers to Ottawa,
and to persons with specialized needs.
The programs and activities developed as part of the
LCC initiative were subsumed into OPL operations upon completion of the project
in December 2007. The Children and Teen Services and the Adult & Readers’
Advisory Services have undertaken the responsibility to deliver many of the new
and enhanced services as part of regular operations.
3.8 Physical Activity Strategy
The Physical Activity Strategy (PAS)
placed emphasis on the benefits of
“prevention” for all age groups through daily physical activity, healthy
eating and recreation programs to create improved self-esteem, better
school/work performance, to reduce the risk of chronic disease and injury, and
overall enhanced quality of life.
Collaboration was essential to the success of the
PAS. Ottawa Public Health (OPH) and Parks and Recreation (P&R) along with
other city departments capitalized on service integration opportunities that
resulted in streamlined service delivery for programs like I ♥ 2 Skate,
Ottawa on the Move -Makes Good Business Cents (workshops for workplaces), and
the Pedometer Lending Library Program. The initiative team members educated
children, parents, teachers, workplaces, school staff, and the various
community members about the importance of daily physical activity to support a
“focus on prevention” and a healthy lifestyle. The initiative was championed
and delivered by community partners to internal and external stakeholders:
parents and families, at workplaces, and with 4 Ottawa school boards.
The PAS in conjunction with Active Ottawa Actif (AOA)
reached Ottawa residents with physical activity initiatives more than 7 million
times from 2005 to 2007. New and significant partnerships were created with the
National Capital YMCA/YWCA, Ottawa Boys and Girls Club, Community Health
Resource Centres, the EnviroCentre and the Ottawa 67’s. Together, the larger
group of partners created a range of physical activity opportunities to ensure
that activity at all ages remains a priority for city of Ottawa residents. The
shared objective was to reduce obesity and related health problems associated
with inactivity.
The Healthy Heart Hockey initiative awareness
campaign was developed to prevent hockey-related heart attacks among
recreational hockey players. The
central message: “Get in shape to play hockey - don’t play hockey to get in
shape”. This large collaborative effort
involved the Ottawa Heart Institute, Carleton University, Canadian Adult
Recreational Hockey Association (CARHA), Parks and Recreation branch of CPS,
Real Property and Asset Management, Paramedic Services, Heart and Stroke
Ontario, Ottawa Heart Beat and Sun Life Insurance. A survey was conducted to gather information about coronary risk
factors and physical activity patterns with over 2,200 adult male recreational
hockey players. The survey results were
used to help develop the campaign and associated public education and awareness
materials including posters in City arenas about early identification of heart
attacks and appropriate action to be taken in the event of a heart attack. Due
to the unequivocal success of the Healthy Heart Hockey initiative, CARHA Hockey
will introduce the program to 10 other cities across Canada.
The St. Laurent Friendly Corner was developed for
access to an affordable program in which seniors can participate in organized
activities such as mall walking and strength training. The program promotes physical activity for
seniors, encourages healthy aging and offers emotional support in a lively,
social environment. It is a volunteer-led program in collaboration with St.
Laurent Shopping Centre and Florida Fitness (who donate space for the program).
To date in 2008, there were 8,000 visits to the St Laurent Friendly Corner and
volunteers have given 1,300 hours of time to make this initiative successful.
The Physical Activity Strategy provided inviting,
creative promotions such as the “Pedometer Challenge” and the “Try it! ” campaign with the goal of encouraging
both staff and the general public to be active on a continuous and regular
basis. Over the three-year period, over 2800 City staff and 1,500 staff from
other workplaces participated in the “Pedometer Challenge”. In the same period,
the “Try it!” campaign attracted more than 2,300 participants to over 1,200
free programs across the city of Ottawa.
Beyond the completion of the
initiative in December 2007, the Ottawa Public Health branch continues to be
committed to the “Active Ottawa Actif “ partnership and has made physical
activity a key result area. As programs are transitioned into operations,
evaluation will continue to ensure programs are addressing client need and
making a real impact on the health of the city.
3.9 Public Education: Safety and Safe Behaviour
The Public Education: Safety and Safe Behaviour
(PESSB) initiative increased the level of public education about the safety
of school age children. The examination of local injury statistics cited the top causes
of injuries for children 5-14 years as falls, sports-related injuries, motor
vehicle-related injuries (occupant, pedestrian), cycling, and others (such as
burns).
Through community engagement the initiative team
established a customized and efficient approach to public education that can be
used as a model for future initiatives. The initiative team coordinated
existing City of Ottawa safety and prevention programs by collaborating across
branches to reduce duplication of efforts and maximize service excellence. The
result of CPS collaboration in the provision of services of safety and
prevention was cross-departmental education and sharing of best practices
around service integration.
This initiative resulted in a modified safety
messages to a seasonal cycle to capture school age children interest and to
ensure focused attention on the most immediate dangers. The resources and
safety program were aimed at students from five to fourteen years of age within
eight schools across the City. The Swim to Survive Program, with a focus of
drowning prevention and water safety, had tremendous positive impact on the
grade three students enrolled in the program as cited in the overwhelmingly positive feedback from the several hundred students,
parents, and teachers who participated in the program. The participating schools have indicated interest in
offering this program annually.
This PESSB initiative was completed in October 2007. Part the completion included a comprehensive safety brochure and safety curriculum provided to the Ottawa Safety Council for use in the redevelopment of the Safety Village. The work is continuing for the Ottawa Safety Council to reach its goal and Ottawa Public Health is part of the committee to monitor progress.
3.10 Staff Investment Strategy
The Staff Investment Strategy (SI) unlike the
other eleven priority initiatives was internally focused. The objective of the
strategy was to promote staff engagement, encourage leadership, facilitate
information sharing, and to collaborate and foster a positive work atmosphere
throughout the entire CPS department.
Supported, productive and happy staff ultimately translates to better
quality service to the citizens.
Surveys were conducted to gather information from staff about the issues
that matter most, to gain knowledge about changes that would make a difference
to staff and to measure the impact of those changes once implemented.
The strategy focused on staff development. Some
achievements in this area are: the introduction of non-traditional hour
training courses now available through the learning centre on evenings and
weekends, the development of performance appraisal tools, the implementation of
standard performance appraisal forms and process, and the introduction of a Job
Shadow Program. These investments in City staff created more opportunities for
staff to develop their skills and to explore career options within the
corporation. The SI strategy created an environment where staff contribution is
valued and staff investment is a shared responsibility.
The mechanisms created to facilitate staff engagement
included a departmental workgroup, branch workgroups with worksite
representatives, branch staff investment annual work plans, focus groups, staff
surveys, electronic suggestion box, leadership forums, and a CPS staff forum.
The strategy was instrumental in improved focus on our most valuable asset -
“our people”. The Staff Investment team developed initiatives to have a
positive impact on the CPS staff experience. One such initiative was the
promotion and marketing of the corporate recognition program that resulted in a
30% increase in award presentation to staff. Other tools were developed to
foster a culture of recognition such as the “How Can we help?” quarterly
communiqué, which highlighted branch accomplishments and the development
and implementation of the e-card program.
These tools enabled staff at all levels to recognize each other for the
extraordinary work completed everyday.
Results of the staff engagement survey conducted in
the final year of the three year CPS Strategic Plan indicated there was an
increase of 7% satisfaction from the initial 2005 survey results in responding
to the question of whether the staff felt recognized. The result indicates that CPS is becoming more successful at
creating a positive work environment for staff at all levels and more
improvement on satisfaction at work.
The demonstrated benefit of the initiatives and
programs developed by the Staff Investment team cannot be sustained without a
continued focus on staff. Furthermore, it is necessary for the CPS department
to align with the newly announced Corporate Staff Engagement Program into 2008.
The well-established and accomplished
Staff Investment workgroups will ensure that CPS is well positioned to
effectively contribute to the success of the City workforce sustainability
efforts within the Corporate Staff Engagement Program.
3.11 Housing Agenda
The Housing Agenda (HA) built community
capacity and commitment around housing and homelessness within the City and the
Community over the past three years. The agenda provided long-term planning
activities to address housing issues in Ottawa in a coordinated way. The work
undertaken in the HA created vision and a systematic shift to succeed in
addressing emerging housing challenges in the future. The general perception
and understanding of housing issues changed to the notion that housing is more
than just shelter. The housing continuum incorporates a system of assets,
financing, services, supports, policies and programs to enable Ottawa residents
and families to live in stable, affordable housing in our community.
The HA initiative team developed and implemented the
first comprehensive City Housing Strategy across three levels of government and
diverse community groups in the city. The collaborative efforts of those
involved in the strategy resulted in an inventory of affordable housing and
homelessness support services, a training plan that included a toolkit for
shelters and housing service agencies to assess and enhance their own capacity,
various sector plans to meet the needs of particular segments of the homeless
population, an update of the Community Action Plan to Prevent and End
Homelessness in Ottawa, and implementation of planning policies and program
funding to increase the supply of non-market and market affordable
housing.
The CPS service delivery approach of a focus on prevention
is exemplified through housing loss prevention services in which over of 7,000
households were assisted in 2007. The strategy resulted in maintaining the
average length of stay in emergency shelters to under 2 months since 2005. The
increase in support services and housing support workers in shelters has
assisted people to move more quickly into permanent, stable housing.
More than 250 affordable housing units were made
available across the city to those in need with the completion of 83 units at
Blue Heron Co-operative, 62 units at Nepean Housing Corporation, 40 units of
permanent supportive housing at Ottawa Salus, 26 bachelor units provided for
supportive housing for ex-offenders at John Howard Society, 36 rental units at
Gloucester Non-Profit Housing, and 10 rental units at Multifaith Housing. The Youth Services Bureau completed 48 units
providing emergency and transitional housing for young women and men (18 and 30
respectively) and 10 units of transitional housing at the Salvation Army.
Although the City is only one stakeholder in Ottawa’s
housing system, the City Housing Strategy establishes a leadership role for the
City of Ottawa in promoting increased communication, collaboration and
coordination among community partners involved in housing. The goal is to
promote a more comprehensive and integrated response to addressing Ottawa’s
housing needs. The collaborative efforts of the HA team included work with all
three levels of government, private sector partners, and non-profit community-based
agencies.
This priority initiative was completed in December
2007; however, the on-going implementation of the activities within the City’s
Housing Strategy will be continued in the operations of the Housing branch.
3.12
Seniors Agenda
The main
focus of the Seniors Agenda (SA) was to build capacity within City
departments and with external groups to identify issues relating to seniors in
Ottawa and to facilitate collaborative opportunities to meet their needs. In
consultation with senior citizens and community agencies the agenda identified
three top priorities for Ottawa seniors: communication of services,
transportation, and housing. The SA team developed and executed plans to
achieve significant impact in the three priority areas.
The SA increased staff awareness of services
available for seniors and created tools to serve seniors in a more holistic
way. Seniors Day Celebration included the distribution of a “Services for
Seniors” brochure and the creation of a seniors web pages on ottawa.ca. Public
awareness of senior’s issues was enhanced for local caregivers and service
providers. The range of services for
seniors provided by the City to assist with healthy aging within our community
were highlighted; financial supports, snow removal, and physical and social
activities. The services are intended to provide choices and options to
increase health independence and to reduce social isolation.
Staff dedication and commitment to seniors was most
apparent during the 2007 Seniors Day Event in which 17 branches collaborated to
profile City services in an interactive way with seniors at City Hall. The
event celebrated the significant contributions that seniors make to our
community on a daily basis as caregivers, volunteers and mentors.
With a focus on continuous service improvement, City service enhancements were made in the areas of taxation, the Essential Health and Social Supports in EFA, and snow removal assistance. The agenda resulted in increased collaboration both internally between various CPS branches and across departments. One such collaborative effort involved CPS and OC Transpo with a shared focus on seniors and transportation. More affordable transportation options were created to allow seniors to ride the bus free each Wednesday throughout the summer months. A taxi coupon program was created to offer more choice and flexibility for Para Transpo users. These new transportation options created more opportunities for seniors to be mobile and enjoy activities to keep them connected to their community.
The work of the Seniors Agenda team developed and
strengthened external partnerships with community partners such as ROTIS,
Council on Aging, Service Canada, and United Way with whom a Seniors Affordable
Supportive Housing Symposium was organized and a framework and report were
developed. The framework and report were useful marketing tools that were
presented to major stakeholders such as the Local Health Integration Network to
guide the development of the required housing and home supports to enable
Ottawa seniors to age well at home.
An "Aging in Place" project was established
in five Ottawa Housing Corporation apartment buildings to decrease the
frequency of Emergency Room visits for over 1,000 seniors. Each of the
buildings was equipped with a "store front" site where a broad range
of community and city services intended to improve the health status of at risk
seniors were offered. The success of the pilot, as demonstrated by a reported
fifty percent decrease in emergency room visits from those buildings, has resulted in a funding increase from the
Local Health Integrated Network to expand the program to include more Ottawa
Housing Corporation buildings.
Many of the activities of the agenda were subsumed in
the operations of the Long Term Care branch. Seniors are a growing demographic
and there is a continued need for CPS branches and other City departments to
keep senior issues as a priority and focus when planning services. CPS will
continue to emphasize the coordination of seniors through the portfolio of
Seniors Service Coordinator in Strategic Initiatives and Business Planning.
4.1 Closeout Plan and Next Steps
Although December 31st, 2007 marked the
official completion 2005-2007 CPS Strategic Plan, the CPS department is
committed to sustain the momentum of the” How can we Help?” vision and will
continue to build on the successes of the 12 initiatives of the strategic plan.
For the 9 initiatives that were completed as CPS
priority initiatives (Emergency Management Program, Working City, Access to
Culture, Community Investment, Learning and Literate Community, Physical
Activity Strategy, Public Education: Safety and Safe Behaviour, Senior’s Agenda
and the Housing Agenda), the programs, activities and service enhancements
implemented through the initiatives were incorporated into branch operations
with the exception of the Emergency Management Program given it is corporately
mandated program.
The 4 remaining projects: Neighbourhood Planning,
Children and Youth Agenda, and the Staff Investment Strategy will be completed
in 2008. A transition plan
will address the sustainability strategies for these continuing initiatives in
addition to departmental emerging issues such as the Aboriginal Working
Committee and the Immigration Ottawa Initiative. Strategies identified within
the transition plan will help support and inform the Community Development
Framework presently being developed by CPS. The transition plan will outline
the actions required at all levels of the corporation and in the community to
best support the ongoing needs of citizens.
5.0
Conclusion
The 2005-2007 Strategic Plan was an enormous success
for the Community and Protective Services Department. The introduction and successful
implementation of the “How can we Help?” vision and the 12 priority initiatives
have reinforced the qualities that are most valued by our citizens: the
availability of high-quality services, innovative economic development and
exciting job opportunities, livable communities, diverse artistic and cultural
life, varied housing forms, green and open spaces, and the heritage landmarks
and landforms that distinguish Ottawa as the Nation’s Capital.
The work completed within the 12 priority initiatives
solidified the “How can we help?” service philosophy of CPS and has formalized
collaboration as one of the most productive and efficient means of reaching
shared objectives and goals. Numerous
existing key partnerships were strengthened and new working relationships were
forged with the community organizations and agencies serving the residents of
Ottawa. Networks were created to
enhance existing assets or to develop new facilities, programs and/or services
to improve the physical and/or social infrastructure in communities. Combined efforts of the City and the
community resulted in much improved services and outcomes for citizens.
With the dedication and
commitment of CPS staff in their contribution to the 12 initiatives, CPS has
adopted a continuous service improvement culture through routine examination of
programs and services to find innovative opportunities to reduce costs, find
efficiencies, and provide excellent quality service to the citizens of Ottawa. The priority initiatives
promoted multi-sector and innovative approaches to solving problems.
The CPS Department is positioned as an effective
leader, having demonstrated the value of combining efforts with the community.
CPS is prepared to consider the need for solutions to address long-term systemic
changes required to ensure a continued and enhanced client service excellence.
The factors driving this need for systemic change include a changing
demographic base, changing and varied customer needs and an evolving workforce.
The CPS Senior Management Team will develop the next
steps to creating a new framework, activities and supports best suited to build
on the accomplishments of the 2005-2007 CPS Strategic Plan. The key learning
from the 12 initiatives will be invaluable in moving foreword; the value in the
connection of customers to service, the knowledge that active engagement of
employees leads to improved client service, and the success of place based
solutions and service integration. The new CPS strategic direction will
incorporate all the successful elements from the work of the last three years
and will achieve alignment with the corporate objectives and provide excellent
service experience for all CPS clients.