Action urgently needed: Contact your MLA about FSCD/PDD
It has been three years since the Alberta government released data related to the Family Support for Children with Disabilities (FSCD) or Persons with Developmental Disabilities (PDD) programs, such as how many eligible children and adults have requested but are waiting for supports. With this absence of government data and in response to the growing number of individuals and families contacting us who are unable to secure the supports they require, Inclusion Alberta launched a survey in the fall of 2024 to hear their experiences.
Read our full media releases about the survey results here.
Read the full reports:
According to survey results, the FSCD and PDD programs provide critical and life-changing supports to enable children and adults with disabilities and their families to sustain themselves and participate fully in our communities . . .if and when they can be accessed.
However, both systems have become unresponsive and bureaucratic, failing to provide families with timely access to adequate support. The survey results provide new clarity on how individuals with intellectual disabilities and their families are increasingly being let down by PDD and FSCD.
Anyone who thought that their experience was isolated now knows that the long waits and denials are a province-wide experience. This clarity must motivate us to act. The premier has spoken about the difficult fiscal position Alberta is in, and we have seen no indication that government intends to increase funding for FSCD and PDD when it releases Budget 2025 at the end of February. Unless families, individuals and allies speak up about the importance of adequately funding these programs, the situation could continue to get worse.
There also is a danger that government will make changes to PDD and FSCD that save money but move the programs away from facilitating inclusive lives and offering what individuals and families need. PDD and FSCD provide critical and essential supports for those that can access them, but they are being poorly administered and need more funding given population growth.
Contacting your MLA
Inclusion Alberta does not endorse any political party. The following is offered only in the interests of individuals with intellectual disabilities and their families and to encourage Albertans to participate in the political process.
We encourage you to call your MLA (Member of the Legislative Assembly, a person who has been elected to represent the people in your area within the Alberta government) and ask for an in-person meeting where you can share your family’s experience and expectation that FSCD/PDD provide the supports necessary for those the funding programs are intended for. If families, with their allies, were to meet with every MLA in the province, this would have a substantive impact. It will send the message that there is a significant number of Albertans (at least 40,000 families and then add all their connections) for whom government’s support of children and adults with intellectual disabilities is a top priority. The more of us who share a common perspective, the more likely the MLAs, and their parties will be clear on what needs to be done.
Find your MLA and their phone number by entering your postal code here.
Request a meeting by calling the MLA’s office, stating that you are a constituent in their riding, and you are interested in discussing issues of importance to children and adults with intellectual disabilities and their families.
If you have not received a response within a few days call again and politely repeat your request.
At the meeting, be courteous and non-partisan. If possible, we suggest bringing one or two other supportive friends/family to the meeting. Learn more about meeting with your MLA here in “Tips for meeting with your MLA”.
Below are Inclusion Alberta’s recommendations for actions needed to be taken by the Alberta government so that FSCD and PDD can adequately support the many individuals and families who need it:
FSCD:
- Increase FSCD funding to match inflation and caseload growth of the past two years so that families receive timely access to services that are critically important for their children’s development and inclusion.
- Provide funding and invest in the development of services to address gaps in FSCD services for rural and Indigenous families.
- Reduce wait times.
- Offer Child Focused Services (CFS) to families as soon as their FSCD eligibility is confirmed.
- Establish service standards that limit how long families will wait and ensure regular and timely communication.
- Shift policies to focus on outcomes of inclusion
PDD:
- Remove the urgent and critical needs criteria.
- Restore transparency and accountability to PDD. This will begin with committing to:
- Publicly report the number of individuals who are PDD eligible who do not receive services, and how long they have waited without services.
- Follow up yearly with all individuals waiting for PDD services to update their Outcome Plan, ensuring that vulnerable individuals do not lose contact with PDD while waiting and that PDD’s wait list remains accurate.
- Establish and report on performance indicators that measure whether PDD is achieving its legislated mandate.
- Introduce robust accountability and performance measurement for all contracts.
- Increase PDD funding to fully account for inflation and population growth and ensure sufficient funding to appropriately serve eligible Albertans as the legislation intended.
More information on these recommendations is found in the reports:
For more information or any assistance in meeting with your MLA please contact info@inclusionalberta.org