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ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT
Date: November 28, 1995
Dept. File No. IST.COV
TO: Vancouver City Council
FROM: City Manager
SUBJECT: Integrated Service Teams
RECOMMENDATION
A. THAT Council receive the report on Integrated Service
delivery for information.
B. THAT Council approve the creation of a one-year temporary
full-time technical position at an approximate cost of
$41,000 (subject to job evaluation by the General Manager of
Human Resource Services) to provide ongoing, time-limited
support for team development. Source of funds to be the
1996 Operating Budget.
CITY MANAGER'S COMMENTS
The City Manager RECOMMENDS approval of A and B.
COUNCIL POLICY
On September 27, 1994, Council approved the Integrated Service
Delivery model for City operations.
PURPOSE
This report outlines for Council the development of Integrated Service
Teams to date, and establishes the directions for the next year.
BACKGROUND
Council adopted a framework for the development of an Integrated
Service Delivery System on September 27, 1994. The new model was
developed to ensure open City government, and to provide an effective
community-based City service delivery system. It was apparent many
communities wanted closer linkage with the City, and opportunities to
participate in and support services which would make their communities
safer and more pleasant places; the Integrated Service Team model
responds to the community.
The model was built upon the extensive network of City services
already existing in communities - in libraries, recreation centres,
through engineering in garbage collection, streets, sewers, through
community-based policing, through fire halls.
The goals for the Integrated Service Teams are:
- to ensure accessible, efficient, effective and friendly service
delivery;
- to establish approaches at a neighbourhood level on issues and
service;
- to involve the community in issue identification and problem
solving;
- to result in creative, collaborative problem solving;
- to provide the community ready access to City information.
Each integrated service Team, made up of members from: Planning,
Permits and Licenses, Library, Engineering, Health, Police, Fire,
Social Planning, Parks, and some representatives from the Vancouver
School Board, once given the mandate and opportunity to work with
staff from civic departments and with the community to solve community
issues, has responded effectively and in a timely manner. Many
problems are being resolved in the community and not at City Hall.
DISCUSSION
Development of Integrated Service Teams
In March 1995, the development of the Integrated Service Teams began
in earnest. Departments identified the appropriate staff for their
Integrated Service Team assignments and all staff assigned to an
Integrated Service Team participated in a three- hour orientation
session. Appendix A outlines the history, goals and framework for
service delivery within an Integrated Service Delivery approach.
How Does an Integrated Service Team Work?
Following the three-hour orientation session, each group has set up
its own working arrangements (when, where, and how often to meet), its
own way of responding to issues, its own method of involving resources
from City Hall, and its own way of involving the impacted citizens in
the local area.
Generally, teams meet every 3-4 weeks for 1 to 1 1/2 hours and
converse sometimes daily with one another by phone, E-mail, or through
Internet. Staff who sit on the Integrated Service Team as
departmental representatives are the link back to the department to
access the appropriate staff to be involved in the local area issue.
Each team has a facilitator who is the link back to the operating
committee, who sustain the continuing development of Integrated
Service Teams. The team facilitators provide guidance, suggest
structure, and bring the team together.
The teams are located in the following 15 areas of the City:
West End Kensington/Cedar Cottage
Downtown Renfrew-Collingwood
Strathcona West Point Grey/Dunbar-Southlands
Grandview-Woodland Arbutus Ridge/Shaughnessy/Kerrisdale
Hastings-Sunrise Oakridge/Marpole
Kitsilano/Fairview Sunset
Mount Pleasant Victoria-Fraserview/Killarney
South Cambie/Riley Park
Appendix B is a map of the area serviced by Integrated Services Teams,
and Appendix C lists facilitators and team members for each area.
What Does an Integrated Service Team Do?
The following four case studies illustrate the work undertaken by
different teams.
1. A complaint was received from neighbours that a park had become
an active area for drugs and prostitution. A young child playing
in the park had picked up a discarded syringe during her play.
Integrated Service Team members carried out the following steps:
- the park caretaker was contacted with respect to cleanliness
and hours of the washrooms. Changes were made and the
washrooms closed earlier;
- police enforcement was increased in relation to prostitution
and drug use in the area;
- a public clean up day for the park was organized; (it turned
out to be unnecessary due to the efforts of staff);
- the complainant neighbour was telephoned and visited in
person; and
- a letter was circulated to local residents advising them of
the actions which had been taken and encouraging them to
report or help with any future problems occurring.
2. A house had been creating severe problems for a lengthy period of
time. The house, owned by an incapacitated elderly person, was
occupied by friends of the owner. There was intensive activity
relating to drugs, violence, break-ins, noise and fights.
Integrated Service Team members carried out the following steps:
- contact was made with the person legally responsible for the
elderly owner's affairs. The situation was explained and
the point was made that the existing situation could place a
liability on the owner's legal affairs. The impact on
neighbours was also pointed out;
- a site visit was arranged to allow the responsible person to
see the actual state of the house;
- Permits & Licenses and Health conducted inspections and
identified many deficiencies;
- the person responsible agreed to clear the house and have it
boarded up. Police stood by to keep the peace while this
occurred.
3. A house was vacant. Squatters had begun using the house and the
house had become an area where drug use and criminal activity was
prevalent. Needles were commonly found thrown in the yard.
Break-ins and violence began to take place in the neighbourhood.
Both the front and back yards were full of garbage.
Integrated Service Team members undertook the following steps:
- inspections were arranged involving Permits and Licenses and
Health;
- Police undertook a specialized investigation due to the
nature of criminal activity in the house;
- the owner of the property was advised of the problem which
was occurring and of the impact on the community;
- the demolition permit was expedited and the house was
demolished within a month of the problem arising (neighbours
actually attended the demolition advised staff how thankful
they were for the intervention).
4. In the process of discussing the street design at Nanaimo and
McGill at a meeting of the Vancouver Traffic Commission, a
resident was very complimentary of the Integrated Service Team
and the doors that had been opened to City Hall. She told a
story about how, for years, she
and her neighbours had been frustrated in their dealings with the
City on a number of subject areas. They had been frustrated
because they did not know who to contact about transportation
issues in their neighbourhood, and when they made contact,
nothing seemed to happen. The Integrated Service Team, through
the appropriate staff, was able to provide information and
facilitate a specific solution which worked for the community,
and fit within the City's policy and work programs.
Her plea was that this arrangement, using Integrated Service
Teams, continue, as there are still a number of problems to be
addressed within the neighbourhood.
In Appendix D are samples of record sheets which are being utilized by
the teams to track and coordinate projects they are working on.
Distribution of the sheets among the teams has assisted with
communication and has allowed for an exchange of problem solving
strategies.
Integrated Service Team in the Corporate Context and Community Context
Integrated Services Teams are an example of Better City Government at
work. Integrated Service Teams provide a vehicle for the coordination
of many cross departmental functions like the Civic Youth Strategy,
Community-Based Policing, and the Communication Strategy.
The development of the Integrated Service Team has precipitated within
internal departments a change in referral processes and sharing of
information that has helped to expedite problem solving.
The Integrated Service Team is a resource for not only individuals in
neighbourhoods but for non-profit agencies and crime prevention
offices serving local areas. The Vancouver School Board, through its
Community Serving Schools Review Project has linked itself directly to
Integrated Service Teams. All elementary and high school senior
personnel have had presentations about the Integrated Service Team
Model, and some have chosen to serve on teams.
Following the regionalization of the Health Board, staff of the Health
Department who sit on the teams will continue to participate, as they
are crucial to solving many community issues.
What's Working and What Do We Need to Continue to Work On?
Feedback from the staff and the community have told us:
- linkages of people in departments has been positive - getting to
know community members more broadly is helpful;
- documentation of an issue/problem in its entirety is important
before proceeding;
- some issues like panhandling require a comprehensive cross-team
strategy developed through CCST that frames the issue for a team;
- the teams work best when they focus on small, actionable issues;
- an appropriate balance can be struck between enforcement and
community needs and interests;
- communication links need to improve beyond the meetings between
staff, and between staff and the community;
- the people on the teams need to work together for a few months to
really feel like a team;
- problems are getting solved more efficiently, effectively, and
innovatively;
- that Integrated Services Teams are not widely known in the
community;
- that Integrated Service Teams and how they work are not
understood by all City staff;
- the team members need to be able to understand and to deal with
the conflict of work priorities: Integrated Service Team work
and their day-to-day work.
Where to for 1996
This year has been the start-up and the building year for the teams.
With the continuous input from the teams, departments and the
community, the model established through Integrated Service Teams will
continue to provide an efficient and effective problem solving
vehicle. The teams, once solidified and feeling more confident in
their work with the community, will become a greater community
resource, and will be able to incorporate more community groups in
problem solving.
A significant issue for teams at present is that there is no common
form of communication. Some staff have access to computers, some to
E-Mail, some to fax machines, and all to phones. Because there is
often a need to respond to an issue more quickly than through
scheduled meetings, it has become clear that we need members to be
able to interact daily. To do this the team facilitators or liaisons
now have access to the internet where through a private newsgroup they
can exchange information.
Early in 1996, our goal is to set up private internet news groups for
each team so each departmental representative can communicate to one
another as well as to members from other teams and eventually to the
community.
The public currently has access to individual members of the teams
through community associations, as library users, through information
meetings, and through local neighbourhood associations such as crime
prevention offices. Issues are brought to the attention of the team
through the department initially contacted. Use of the internet is
also part of the strategy to develop the ability for members of the
community to bring forward issues to the team. Access to the internet
may be through a local library, community centre or firehall.
A broader communication strategy will be established (with the
Communication Advisor) early in 1996 in order to let the broader
community know how to access to an Integrated Service Team.
Team Building
Teams will continue to work in the 15 local areas throughout 1996.
Each team may require further specific training in team building or
problem solving. Further, interdepartmental work will be required
when solutions that are identified are not in keeping with current
practices or work priorities. Development of the teams will be
critical throughout 1996 in order to establish them as a strong
community resource; hence, the request for the Project Assistant on a
one year temporary basis. Duties will include:
- under the direction of the Assistant City Manager, drafts
and implements guidelines and procedures and provides and
maintains information on the City's integrated service
approach to customer service;
- assessing and modifying plans and related administrative tasks in
response to team needs and/or changed circumstances;
(Example: work with Information Services to identify and
implement communication procedures between members on the
Integrated Service Teams, between the various Integrated Service
Teams, and between the service teams and the community.)
- performing clerical and typing duties for the Integrated Service
Teams and the Assistant City Manager.
- assisting the Integrated Service Teams in coordinating and
facilitating service delivery to better serve the community.
(Example: identify community issues and integrated service plans
and delivery; coordinate liaison meetings, team meetings, take
meeting minutes, and participate in training activities for the
teams as required.)
- assist the Assistant City Manager in coordinating the
implementation and training of the Communication Strategy for
Integrated Service Teams.
STAFF AND ORGANIZATIONAL IMPLICATIONS
The Integrated Service Teams are having an impact on how work is being
done in the City. Staff are learning new skill sets because they are
often communicating directly with other staff and the community in
working on joint solutions to a problem. Decision-making and problem-
solving are other skill sets that are being enhanced through customer
focus at a service delivery level. Because work expectations require
interdepartmental work and cooperation, throughout the organization
staff are coming together to build more common sense solutions in a
more timely and a self-initiated fashion.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
For 1996, temporary funding is needed for the Project Assistant
position, to continue to provide the support required for the
continuing development of Integrated Service Teams. This position was
filled through a six month seconded position from Permits and Licenses
and through the Manager's Office. This would be a one time cost,
including benefits of approximately $41,000.
CONCLUSION
This new integrated service delivery model is underway and is
responding to the changing demands of the diverse community.
Departments, through staff, have responded positively with creative
problem solving and collaborative approaches. While this is the City
doing its business at a local level we will be over the next year
refining and getting better at problem solving local issues through
expanded use of Integrated Service Teams.
Comments or questions? You can send us
email.
Last modified: September 7, 1996
(c) 1996 City of Vancouver
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