One Stop
One of the concepts for a more united approach to social services is the “one stop shopping” approach. This is either through putting a group of services under one roof so that a client can have access to a variety of services more efficiently and with more coordination between the services; or by using the Internet and creating portals oriented to one of the key components of the social determinants of health, like employment. The US has a national “Career One Stop” system[1] aimed at helping people with employment barriers find their way back into meaningful employment which is quite successful. It is both a useful web portal and an affiliated network of employment centers all contributing to assisting disadvantaged individuals find work. For higher functioning individuals this is a useful service; but “one stops” for mental health or disabilities based on this model would be inadequate.
Social Services organizations gathering under one roof may herald a new trend and one of the leaders in this approach is a group of over twenty child, youth and family service agencies who have “come together as a registered society to work collaboratively with combined strength, commitment and expertise to address issues and concerns affecting children, youth and families in the Western Communities of Southern Vancouver Island.” This group is the Orca group[2] who are creating three collective social services facilities in three different communities on Vancouver Island to work together to benefit the clients and the agencies.
Previously, these agencies provided services from separate locations. The new Child, Youth and Family Centres enable people in Sooke and in the West Shore to access their services under one roof and allow agencies to save money through sharing services, equipment and space. This money can then be directed to providing improved and additional services for children, youth and families.
The Centres are also unique in their combination of dedicated, shared and common spaces that require a close partnership between agencies within each facility. This partnership has resulted in unique collaborations around the provision of services to families. With service integration as its ultimate goal, these Child, Youth and Family Centres will become leaders in collaborative practice.[3]
This is a trend that is growing with other communities experimenting with one stop concepts including one of the flashiest communities in North America: Las Vegas.
According to the United Way of Southern Nevada in their What Matters[4] newsletter the Fertitta Community Assistance Center, is a large social services one stop integration project launched in June 2005 to help the homeless in Las Vegas. “The Center is a 7,000-square-foot one-stop shop for women and children, veterans, seniors, individuals and families in need of self-sufficiency resources. Multiple programs and services are offered—under one roof—to create maximum community impact for the 60,000 people expected to utilize the Center annually.”
One of the telling points in the story on Fertitta is their use of technology:
The Center’s occupants—Clark County Social Service, Nevada State Welfare Division, Southern Nevada Adult Mental Health Services, Courtney Children’s Foundation and Women’s Development Center—will look to the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) to gather important client data. The intake system enables clients to enter personal information and data only one time. Service providers can access demographic information on recipients and service delivery to track trends and gaps in service.
[1]http://www.careeronestop.org/
[2]Western Communities Organizations Regionally Collaborating for Action, http://orcasociety.com
[3]http://orcasociety.com/frontend/content/view/41/70/
[4]http://www.uwsn.org/uploads/newsletters/05JulyNwslttr.pdf
Social Services organizations gathering under one roof may herald a new trend and one of the leaders in this approach is a group of over twenty child, youth and family service agencies who have “come together as a registered society to work collaboratively with combined strength, commitment and expertise to address issues and concerns affecting children, youth and families in the Western Communities of Southern Vancouver Island.” This group is the Orca group[2] who are creating three collective social services facilities in three different communities on Vancouver Island to work together to benefit the clients and the agencies.
Previously, these agencies provided services from separate locations. The new Child, Youth and Family Centres enable people in Sooke and in the West Shore to access their services under one roof and allow agencies to save money through sharing services, equipment and space. This money can then be directed to providing improved and additional services for children, youth and families.
The Centres are also unique in their combination of dedicated, shared and common spaces that require a close partnership between agencies within each facility. This partnership has resulted in unique collaborations around the provision of services to families. With service integration as its ultimate goal, these Child, Youth and Family Centres will become leaders in collaborative practice.[3]
This is a trend that is growing with other communities experimenting with one stop concepts including one of the flashiest communities in North America: Las Vegas.
According to the United Way of Southern Nevada in their What Matters[4] newsletter the Fertitta Community Assistance Center, is a large social services one stop integration project launched in June 2005 to help the homeless in Las Vegas. “The Center is a 7,000-square-foot one-stop shop for women and children, veterans, seniors, individuals and families in need of self-sufficiency resources. Multiple programs and services are offered—under one roof—to create maximum community impact for the 60,000 people expected to utilize the Center annually.”
One of the telling points in the story on Fertitta is their use of technology:
The Center’s occupants—Clark County Social Service, Nevada State Welfare Division, Southern Nevada Adult Mental Health Services, Courtney Children’s Foundation and Women’s Development Center—will look to the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) to gather important client data. The intake system enables clients to enter personal information and data only one time. Service providers can access demographic information on recipients and service delivery to track trends and gaps in service.
[1]http://www.careeronestop.org/
[2]Western Communities Organizations Regionally Collaborating for Action, http://orcasociety.com
[3]http://orcasociety.com/frontend/content/view/41/70/
[4]http://www.uwsn.org/uploads/newsletters/05JulyNwslttr.pdf
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