Halton Region:Halton Region:Citizen-Centred Service InitiativesCitizen-Centred Service Initiatives

New Frontiers and Best PracticesNew Frontiers and Best Practicesin Citizen-Centred Servicein Citizen-Centred Service

IPAC/ICCS SymposiumIPAC/ICCS SymposiumNovember 14, 2001November 14, 2001

Presentation OutlinePresentation Outline

Overview of Halton Region Halton’s Partnership Experience Examples of Single Point Access:

to targeted groups across organizational boundaries

York

Peel

Toronto

N iagara

USA

Ham ilton

Halton

Halton RegionHalton Region

Regional Municipality located between Toronto and Hamilton

4 Area Municipalities (2 urban, 2 rural) 387,000 people one of Canada’s fastest growing areas

Halton Region ServicesHalton Region Services

Public Health (including ambulance) Social and Community Services (children’s services,

income & employment services, housing, seniors) Waste management Water and Wastewater Regional roads & transportation Planning services Business Development Centre Museum Emergency Planning

Halton PartnershipsHalton Partnerships

Halton has pursued partnerships internally among departments and with other organizations to deliver services more effectively to our citizens >25 years

Nature of 2-tier local government Spirit of collaboration - alive and well in

Halton

Examples of Halton PartnershipsExamples of Halton Partnerships

Apprenticeship Advisory Council Joint Purchasing Initiative Business Development Centre Resource Centres Integrated Intake Services for Children

and Families Halton Government Access Centre

Halton Integrated ServicesHalton Integrated Services

Service clusters around targeted groups: small business entrepreneur children and families unemployed

Single entry point for services: across departmental boundaries across organizational boundaries

Business Development CentreBusiness Development Centre

One-stop service for entrepreneurs Comprehensive information and

counselling services on starting a small business in Halton

Ontario Business Connects Canada Ontario Business Service

Centre

Integrated Intake ServicesIntegrated Intake Services

Centralized system of intake, information and referrals for children and families in Halton

Multi-disciplinary team - shared expertise (nursing, social work, early childhood educator professionals)

Operational efficiency (response time, duplication of effort, improved linkages)

Integrated Intake ServicesIntegrated Intake Services

Single point of access to various health and social service programs: Healthy Babies, Healthy Children Making Services Work for People Child Health Reproductive Health Speech and Language Children’s Assessment & Treatment Centre Child care Children’s Resource Services Ontario Works

Further Integration OpportunitiesFurther Integration Opportunities

Social Housing has been transferred from Province to Halton

Within 6 months will add housing information and referral

Resource CentresResource Centres

Halton/HRDC share office space in 4 locations - one in each area municipality

Tri-level government arrangement in Burlington (Halton/HRDC/MCSS)

Formal partnership - 6 years integrated income and employment

services for the unemployed

Impetus for ChangeImpetus for Change

Historic relationship with HRDC Liaison meetings - client profile/needs Some technology sharing and shred

program delivery Leases due Senior Management desire for more

synergistic co-location arrangement

Service Delivery ModelService Delivery Model

Coordinated delivery of employment services

One location: one-stop shopping for clients

Easy to get to: one in each area municipality

Service Delivery ModelService Delivery Model

One professional contact: one case manager (employment, social assistance, child care)

All necessary resources easily available Remove embarrassing aura of social

assistance office

New PartnershipNew Partnership

In each office client can: drop in to talk to professional staff drop off and pick up documents access computer tools, prepare resume, job

search attend workshops and training sessions apply for employment insurance, Federal

income programs meet with a child care staff

How Have Employment Services How Have Employment Services Changed?Changed?

More services, more accessible, more often One customer counter in all locations Staff more aware of tools and how they are

used - Regional and Federal staff rotate provision of assistance to anyone in office

Less frustrated clients

Customer FeedbackCustomer Feedback

Halton part of Government Single Window Services Survey sponsored by IPAC

preliminary findings - 88% satisfied with service they received (Business Development Centre, Resource Centres)

Halton Single WindowHalton Single Window

Primarily in service delivery business 45,000 inquiries/month about regional

services number of calls about area municipal,

provincial and federal services worked with area municipalities to

analyse misdirected calls - 14,000/year

A Changing Environment A Changing Environment

Provincial shift in service delivery responsibilities to Regions

Local Government Reform in Ontario Federal and Ontario initiatives Citizen expectations - 79% believe we

should make all government services available in same office

Halton Single-WindowHalton Single-Window

Halton developed proposal for seamless access to local government services in Halton in 1999

approved by 5 CAOs and endorsed “in principle” by 5 Municipal Councils

developed basic telephone linkage - May 2000

Halton Single-WindowHalton Single-Window

Timing issues Halton moving forward alone:

ensure own house is in order ensure compatible technology for future

initiative with area municipalities pursuing partnerships with Federal and

Provincial Governments

Halton Government Access CentreHalton Government Access Centre

Concept: basic facts and information all 3 levels of government convenient and seamless for citizens

Comprehensive internal review Customer Service Strategy

Customer Service StrategyCustomer Service Strategy

All program areas included New tools, processes, practices 3-year timeframe Centralized customer service function

by January 2004 One-stop shopping for all Regional

government services and information

Provincial LinksProvincial Links

Provincial funding to establish Government Information Centre in Halton Regional Centre

hard copy of database document dissemination future initiatives to improve ease of

access

Federal LinksFederal Links

Waiting for Cabinet approval to establish Service Canada Centre at Halton Regional Centre

Received access to Government of Canada database

Halton staff completed training - can navigate through database

disseminating federal documents

Forecast for the Future in HaltonForecast for the Future in Halton

We are persistent We believe it is the right thing to do -

recent survey results Know we will succeed and hope our

partners will join us in the future to truly develop one-window to all government services in Halton