The Red Deer and District FCSS region includes the partner municipalities of The City of Red Deer, Red Deer County, Town of Bowden, Town of Penhold, Village of Delburne and Village of Elnora.

Each municipality has the autonomy to determine the FCSS process at the local level. For that reason, FCSS can look vastly different from one municipality to another.

In the Red Deer region, FCSS is structured in a regional partnership of six municipalities which are represented at the FCSS Board as follows:

• City of Red Deer Municipal Council Members (2)
• Red Deer County Council Members (2)
• Town of Bowden Municipal Council Member (1)
• Village of Delburne Municipal Council Member (1)
• Village of Elnora Municipal Council Member (1)
• Town of Penhold Municipal Council Member (1)
• Members of the public (residents of Red Deer) (4)

FCSS supports Community Workers and Community Facilitators in each partner municipality. The Red Deer & District FCSS Board meets monthly (excluding January, July and August).

Community Workers

FCSS Community Workers provide direct services to the community or empower the local community to take action on broader community social matters. They also act as information and referral agents to ensure that residents are connected with appropriate social services within the region.

Community Facilitators

FCSS Community Facilitators provide consultative and facilitative leadership and support and are rarely involved in direct service delivery. They focus largely on community capacity building through convening and/or contributing to broad social issues that are not owned by any one agency. Their roles range from advocate, educator, capacity builder, convener to coordinator.

FCSS: 2022 Trends in Review

The 2022 Trends in Review report is a compilation of current social trends of wellbeing in Alberta with a specific focus on our FCSS catchment. This report includes data and information available since 2016 to the most recent available year, which varies based on data source. The 2022 Trends in Review report aims to provide background information to stakeholders in the FCSS 2024-2026 funding priority setting process. View the FCSS - 2022 Trends in Review (pdf) report.

Regardless of the approach, an FCSS municipality must ensure that local initiatives, processes or services meet all the requirements set out in the FCSS Act.  In particular, the Act requires that FCSS supports social initiatives that are preventive and that they enhance the social well-being of individuals and families through promotion or intervention strategies provided at the earliest opportunity.

FCSS Program Requirements

Below are some of the guidelines for FCSS programs. For a full listing of programs, services and approaches that generally meet the FCSS Act, please refer to the FCSS Program Advice Inventory (pdf).

FCSS funded programs must also do one or more of the following:

• Help people to develop independence, strengthen coping skills, and become more resistant to crisis;
• Help people to develop awareness of social needs;
• Help people to develop interpersonal and group skills which enhance constructive relationships among people;
• Help people and communities assume responsibility for decisions and actions which affect them; or
• Provide supports that help sustain people as active participants in the community.

FCSS must not fund services that:

• Provide primarily for the recreational needs or leisure time pursuits of individuals;
• Offer direct assistance, including money, food, clothing, or shelter, to sustain an individual or family;
• Are rehabilitative in nature (as that is in conflict with “prevention”); or
• Duplicate services that are ordinarily provided by a government or government agency.

Accountability

As is the case with all funded programs, Red Deer & District FCSS is required to meet required outcomes and financial accountability as set by the Province. On a random basis, the Red Deer & District FCSS program is audited directly by provincial FCSS staff with the last audit being in 2013.

View meeting agendas and minutes from FCCS meetings