ESPC Operating Principles

How the Edmonton Social Planning Council demonstrates the Operating Principles of SP

Independence

* its website proclaims it as "an independent, non-profit, charitable organization;
* it participates in a number of social action coalitions as an individual member;
* it initiated its own constitution in 1941;
* it developed its own social planning board and subsequent budget in 1960;
* rewriting its own constitution in 1972, it established 4 separate citizen commission groups focusing on urban issues and a research approach.

Community Accountability

* it's composed of a voluntary 4 member Board of Directors which governs its overall directions;
* it maintains a large group of support staff;
* fee-paying members may approve/reject proposals by vote;
* it is core-funded by Alberta's United Way and thus must remain attentive to the U.W.'s social priorities;
* it has set up office space in a former inner city school, thus living in the milieu of which it is often concerned.

Knowledge-based Procedures (the following represent a small sample of its many attempts to provide data and experience to promote social action)

* 1943 -it produced the Whitton Study which revealed horrific adoption practices all across Canada;
* 1958 -it published critical research findings about the services for, voting rights, employment and vocational training opportunities for the physically and mentally disabled;
* 1968 -it published the "Blue Book" of legal rights related to the lifestyles of transient youth (media called it 'subversive');
* 1972 -it produced "Alternatives to Poverty and Welfare", a document about causes and the needed provision of encouraging work incentives for the unemployed (which did influence provincial government policy);
* 1991 -it researched and published "The Cost of Healthy Living", illustrating clearly that current welfare payments did not even cover the basics of a healthy lifestyle for a child;
* 2001-3 -it did ample research and assessment about the available services (health, education, employment) for Aboriginal youth.

Citizen Participation

* it continues to provide information, including a website page, called 'Members Speak', by which it invites feedback and input, and publishes results of such;
* since 1939, it has conducted over 50 'needs surveys' in the Edmonton area;
* it will co-host a conference exploring the issues of poverty and related social concerns facing Alberta's families on January 25, 2008;
* it has established websites where the public can read about the provincial government's current social programmes and their projected effectiveness;
* in 1977, it began training people as para-professional community workers;
* in 2002, it initiated 'Tap-In', a project whereby interested people could receive surplus employment training opportunities at various institutions.

Inclusiveness of People

* inviting people to become involved, regardless of any self-defining form of identification, the ESPC asserts this principle in its 'Vision Statement';
* it provides a list of Advocacy resources/addresses for anyone interested in sharing ideas/concerns with government departments;
* it co-hosted a 'Renters Listening Forum' in May, 2007 to give Edmonton renters the chance to share their stories about the crisis there;
* since 1939, ESPC has investigated/researched/analysed an extremely wide range of social concerns, including mental health care, care for the elderly, physical disability provisions, unemployment, child welfare, First Nations issues, women's issues, urban renewal consequences (for example);
* in 2004, it partnered with 4 other agencies on the 'Inclusive Cities Canada' project to consult on making cities more inclusive of all their citizens.

Holistic Perspective

* several instances above demonstate how ESPC has seen the need to take a comprehensive view of social problem solving by partnering with a variety of organizations to conduct forums, to provide resources and to propose resolutions.

Written by William