News, Links and Events 

The recommendations of the Safety Standards Consultation Team are out!
Supporting Safe and Inclusive Lives (report)
Plain Language Version
Media Release
Consultation Team Quotes

It was a pleasure to take part in a meaningful process to look at how we help to support the safety of people with developmental disabilities who are receiving services to live full, inclusive and dignified lives in their communities. On behalf of the Alberta Council of Disability Services, I appreciate the collaborative approach the government has taken during this consultation. It set an example for future consultations, and government's on-going relationship with the disability community. - Ann Nicol


Submit your questions for a Q&A
A question & answer document is being prepared for service providers, individuals and families impacted by the current Building Code STANDATA, and residential inspections that have already taken place.

ACDS has been invited to submit questions from our membership to government. Please email your questions to [email protected]. 

Alberta report on safety for people with disabilities released
The report recommends the homes of people funded through the PDD program be regulated by the same safety codes as everyone else. Under the previous standards that wasn't the case.
Metro News

Alberta should use 'holistic' approach to safety standards for people with disabilities: report 
"The concern we heard loud and clear (is), that safety is broader than that, that regulation was restrictive and was not implemented in consultation so this is the first time that we are hearing from the people whose safety we are talking about," Sabir said.
Global News

'Step back' from housing rules aimed solely at people with disabilities, report urges 
The new report's 11 recommendations focus largely on staff training and education, safety standards, and accreditation for agencies and interpreting safety codes. 
CBC News

Disability safety standards report recommends education and training 
In April, the province repealed a set of standards that had been drafted in 2013 by the former Progressive Conservative government. Advocates had argued that some of the standards forced landlords to spend money on costly renovations to meet housing codes, making landlords less likely to rent to people with disabilities.  
Edmonton Journal

Report Calls for Independent Review 
"We heard repeatedly from people that they felt the relationship between the community and PDD has been really damaged ... and that there needed to be a proactive review of how services were delivered," said St. Albert MLA Marie Renaud who was on the consult team.
St. Albert Gazette 
Funding issues plague Robin Hood Association
Under the Redford government, organizations like Robin Hood received a "service delivery and administration wage enhancement." Riediger said this enhancement does not apply to staff hired after 2014 to support new clients at the centre.

He added the centre employs 29 individuals for overnight positions that are paid minimum wage. When the employees were paid $11.20 per hour, the government funded the positions at $11.05. Now that the wage has increased to $12.20 per hour, the position is still only funded at $11.05.
Sherwood Park News

Minister Qualtrough says Canada's new disability act will 'make history'
Minister Qualtrough has been travelling across the country for an ongoing national public consultation on creating new Canadian accessibility legislation - the first of its kind in Canadian history. And while she's honoured by the work she has been asked to do, "I certainly feel the weight of the responsibility."
CBC - The Current

Advocates say zoning discriminates 
Lo-Se-Ca Foundation director Carmen Horpestad and MLA Marie Renaud, who headed the organization before being elected to the legislature, called on council to end the discrimination they say is written into the city's land-use bylaw.

Horpestad explained that at a recent hearing of the city's Subdivision and Development Appeal Board, residents opposed to a group home on Howard Crescent suggested that living next to a group home was like having a death in the family. They were worried about property values dropping, and were worried for the safety of their children.
St. Albert Gazette 
ACDS Notes

ACDS.ca Members-Only Section - Procurement Updates 
ACDS Members - To support the meetings that you're having with MLAs around the province, we'll be providing updated key messages on competitive procurement this week under "Contracts and Procurement" in the members-only section of ACDS.ca.

If you require assistance logging into the website, please send an email to [email protected]. 

The Door is Open...awakening our collective power 
The ACDS 2017 Spring Conference 
Save the dates -  A pril 24-26, 2017
Coast Plaza Hotel and Conference Centre - Calgary

Celebrating Innovation 

The celebration of success stories at the ACDS 2016 Conference was a highlight of the event for attendees, and government decision-makers who joined us for the closing session.

Starting in 2017, we want the celebration of innovation and success to be an annual event that we all look forward to and strive to be recognized in.

ACDS is looking for volunteers to join a working group to help get this initiative started. If you're interested, please send an email to [email protected].

Examples of award categories and criteria may include: 
  • Dynamite Policies
  • Social Inclusion
  • Technology Use
  • Technology Use regarding assistive technologies/environmental interventions
  • Staff Initiatives
  • How individuals are included within the organization
  • Intercultural
  • Outstanding Surveys or Processes
  • Outstanding Outcomes
AGM Recap 
The 2016 ACDS AGM was held on October 12th in Leduc.

ACDS Members elected our Board of Directors for 2016/17:
President:  Helen Ficocelli
Vice President:  Ryan Geake
 
Regional Directors:
Esther McDonald - Central
Peter Stoye - Edmonton
Erin Waite - Calgary
Darrin Stubbs - NW
Viviane Widdifield - NE
Alex Hann - South
 
Volunteer Directors:
Judy Galbraith
Sean Hann

Linda Maxwell, Chair of the ACDS Alumni introduced the Alumni Group and spoke to some of their priorities for the coming year.

Finally for the day, our keynote speaker was Mark Holmgren of the Tamarack Institute, speaking on "Upside Down Thinking" and new approaches to issues faced by our sector. 

From left to right and top to bottom:
- ACDS Board members Esther McDonald, Judy Galbraith, Viviane Widdifield, Darrin Stubbs, Peter Stoye, Sean Hann and Helen Ficocelli.
- Linda Maxwell
- Mark Holmgren
- A full house of ACDS members!

Reduced-Cost Programs for ACDS Members
Salopek & Associates: Non-Profit HR Program
The Non-Profit HR Program is a cost effective option for organizations that require HR planning and support to continue growing and developing their people and organizational effectiveness.  Offering reduced hourly rates exclusively to non-profits that are committed to developing their HR and people processes, the Non-Profit HR Program includes a complimentary initial HR Assessment and Action Plan, as well as periodic Touch Point Meetings free of charge to ensure organizations are achieving their target HR objectives at every stage of the Program.

ACDS Reduced Cost Member Benefits
As a strategic partner with ACDS, Salopek & Associates will extend its Non-­-Profit HR Program to ACDS members as part of the Reduced-Cost Program. The Non-Profit HR Program offers ACDS Members with a 20-25% discount on Salopek & Associates' hourly rates for HR Consulting support. ACDS members will also receive a 20% discount on all Salopek HR E-­-Store purchases, which offers online access to over 80 customizable HR templates, policies, guides and forms.

Click here for more information on the Non-Profit HR Program;
And here for more information on other reduced-cost programs for ACDS Members 
Training and Development Update

Positive Behaviour Supports - Levels 1 and 2
When and Where:
November 15th and 16th
Kerry Wood Nature Centre: Theatre Room
6300 45 Ave, Red Deer, AB, T4N 3M4

This session will cover:
-Ethical and philosophical foundations of Positive Behaviour Supports
-Role and responsibilities for implementing a behavioural support plan
-Strategies when observing and charting
-Clarify basic and full functional assessments, and the purpose of Behaviour Support Plans
-Types of behavioural intervention strategies, and teaching strategies
-Explanation of restrictive interventions and how to use them
-Cover the component of a basic and full functional assessment
-Developing a positive behaviour support plan
-Personal awareness and safety
-Risk assessment and safety

Fees:
ACDS Members $61.67 (+GST)
ACDS Non-Members $80.00 (+GST)
Your agency will be invoiced after the training session.

Click here to register 

Positive Behaviour Supports - Train the Trainer
 (Click on the poster for info and to register)

PBS Training - "fundamental to our sector"
Click to view this short video with PBS Trainer Pebbles Salvian.
Winning Proposals
When and Where:
Best Western Plus Denham Inn & Suites
5207-50th Ave
Leduc, AB, T9E 6V3
November 17th

Kara Thompson is the owner of Accountability Law Office in Edmonton, a boutique law firm specializing in providing legal and consulting advice on public procurement processes and contracting. Ms. Thompson also owns and facilitates training for Three E Training Inc., which trains provincial government employees on the management of contracts and procurement processes.

Here are some points we propose to cover in this session. But let us know what you would find helpful? Send your questions and requests to [email protected].                

1. Clarifying government of Alberta's new contracting and procurement processes,
2. The difference between grants and contracts
3. The best way to tie outcomes-based service delivery outputs/deliverables into contracts and the call for proposals (eg. RFP's, PQR service requests, etc).
4.  What are the most important things to include in your proposal to a PQR/RFP?
a.  Importance of mandatories and desirable criteria 
b.  Why they are different, but you need both 
5. Working through an actual RFP - identifying the key parts and what is essential to know about them
6. How the trade agreements (including NWPTA (New West Partnership Trade Agreement), AIT and TILMA) impact the contracting process and what you need to know about them

Visit ACDS.ca for more info and to register
 
Training and Education Resources

Succession Planning and Leadership Development
"Organizations must have an active and effective succession planning and talent management process in place to help ensure organizations are well-positioned for success in the future``
 
Guide to Talent management and Succession planning for agencies in Developmental Services

Guide to Talent Management and Succession planning for Board of Directors in the Developmental Services Section
 
Competency- Based Succession Planning: Developed for human service organizations by CPS Human Resource Services from California - includes a 7 step process and some great tools.

Succession Planning Toolkit - developed for use within a state government it has a framework for developing succession strategies utilizing a 5 step process, complete with tools that will be useful to organizations.  
 
Follow The Leader (2013): a book by well respected trainer and author Paula J. MacLean available through http://silvercreekpress.ca/ .Succession planning for key leadership positions in your nonprofit is not the same as successor planning! Fewer than 20 percent of nonprofit organizations have written succession plans in place for senior staff positions and board leader roles.

Max Bell Foundation
Between January and June of 2017, Max Bell Foundation will deliver its ninth annual Public Policy Training Institute (PPTI).  We will bring together another group of 25 leaders from Canada's charitable sector whose organizations want to impact the public policy process.  Enrollment is open to staff or board members of any Canadian charity.
maxbell.org 
Accreditation Update

Excellence in Accreditation!
ACDS would like to congratulate Supported Lifestyles Ltd. and Newell Community Action Group for successfully achieving CET Level II Accreditation and the Complex Support Needs Review, for showing themselves worthy of their commendations, and for being community leaders .
Supported Lifestyles provides highly specialized, quality services to individuals accessing service, including those with complex needs. It effectively and efficiently supports individuals to live within their community of choice while receiving the professional services they need.
Staff training and information sharing shows the importance the organization places on ensuring everyone has the information that they need to do their jobs well. To ensure staff understand the information, Supported Lifestyles uses trainee-friendly formats, such as plain language, DVDs, pictures, and an easy-access website.
Along with its numerous and varied services, the organization has a Crisis Response Team whose staff have extensive expertise in providing psychological services and relief to individuals and their caregivers, and in responding to individuals who are in crisis and/or require regular planned relief supports.

Supported Lifestyles is also commended for accessing whatever internal and external resources are needed to fully support individuals and staff.

Newell Community Action Group
 
Newell and its employees surpass expectations at supporting families and individuals in the community with the services they need, and they excel at supporting the individuals' different transitions in life.
Newell is also extensively involved in the community. For example, every year it sets up a haunted house in its garages to support an initiative that is led by the individuals accessing services. The individuals start planning the event in August to make sure it's a big success.
Newell's staff are also commended for their ability to utilize positive approaches in most incidents and to handle situations in ways that ensure that the rights of the individuals remain intact.
 
Standards Revision Update
First of all, ACDS would like thank the many people and organizations who have invested their time and resources into the revisions to the 2016 CET Standards. The feedback you gave us provided great insight and direction to the changes.
The Site Survey Process also prompted some discussion; however, we have not yet made any firm decisions about changes to the survey process.
CET Accreditation is available in the following versions.
  • Level 1 Standards for Adults with Disabilities
  • Level 2 Standards for Adults with Disabilities
Level 1 or Level 2 may include these additional indicators.
  • Services for Children with Disabilities
  • Complex Support Needs Review
  • Respite for Children and Adults with Disabilities, which is new for CET
A detailed Guide to Changes accompanies the Level 1, Level 2, Children's and Complex Support Needs manuals. The Appendices for these manuals has been greatly enhanced, and includes an up-to-date glossary and bibliography.
Prices for the 2016 manuals will be similar to the previous 2013 version. However, a big change is that ACDS is allowing purchasers to print copies of any digital or server version of the manuals, and to buy the binder covers and dividers separately.
Timelines:
  • Service providers can now start ordering manuals using  the product order form link on the ACDS website
  • Self-Study Guides will be available in November
  • Information sessions will be scheduled for 2017
For further information about any these standards , feel free to contact your Accreditation Coordinator.
Workforce Update

Staff Safety App

We are looking for realistic scenarios faced by disability workers where a mobile app of safety resources would be of assistance while working out in the community.
As a reward for taking the time to send a submission to the App Development Committee, we'll be awarding five $50 Amazon gift cards, just in time for the holidays.

Submissions should be short, one paragraph at most, and emailed to [email protected]. Please let your staff know about this opportunity. 

The deadline for submissions is November 16th. 

Alberta Learning Information Service - CDS Practitioner
An informational careers video filmed at Chrysalis in Edmonton. ACDS' work to build awareness of the CDS workforce helped to make this career resource on the ALIS website a reality.  

The ACDS Umbrella is a publication of the
Alberta Council of Disability Services
160 3015-12 Street NE
Calgary, Alberta, T2E 7J2
Phone: 403-250-9495 * Fax: 403-291-9864
© 2016 Alberta Council of Disability Services

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