Alberta Council of Disability Services
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Alberta Council of Disability Services
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Project Blueprint CDS refers to activities related to the development and implementation of ACDS’ comprehensive sector-driven strategy for a skilled and sustainable community disability services (CDS) workforce to support Albertans with disabilities now and in the foreseeable future.
See Project Blueprint CDS summary of recommendations and current activities here.
September 2026 – March 2028: Blueprint Stage Two – Implementing Five Core Recommendations
In August 2026, ACDS received funding from Alberta Assisted Living and Social Services to support the implementation of five priority recommendations related to workforce development. KPMG has been contracted to help ACDS achieve the following:
Building a shared understanding of the CDS sector’s evolving scope of practice, resulting in a complete CDS Sector Services and Competencies Inventory
Updating the ACDS Workforce Classification System, resulting in a new Workforce Classification System with updated positions and competencies to reflect the CDS sector’s current and anticipated scope of practice
Developing a baseline target credential for new entry-level workers, together with an implementation plan for grandfathering existing workers
Conducting a gap analysis of current training landscape compared to future-state competencies to inform the development of a Provincial Training framework
Developing the first-ever CDS Sector Provincial Training Framework with clear pathways, equivalency assessments, and recommended mandatory requirements
See Project Blueprint CDS summary of recommendations and Stage Two activities here.
March 2022 – March 2023: Recommendations Development
Launched in March 2022 with funding from the Government of Alberta, and completed with consultancy support from KPMG in March 2023, Blueprint CDS: A Comprehensive Workforce Strategy for Community Disability Services provides 18 recommendations and an implementation plan for a multi-prong response to address urgent concerns as well as offer long-term solutions for systemic change.
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August 2023 – March 2026: Explorations and Collaborations
Collaborating with Alberta Advanced Education to explore if the ministry’s Industry Pathways Initiative was a suitable fit for the CDS sector
Exploring potential alignment with Alberta Jobs, Economy and Trade’s Labour Market Partnership (LMP) and Workforce Attraction and Retention Partnership (WARP) programs
Sharing information about the project in person, through online webinars, or at the ACDS Annual Impact Conference to service providers, frontline staff, self advocates, post-secondary institutions, and various networks and associations within and outside Alberta
Read Blueprint CDS: A Comprehensive Workforce Strategy for Community Disability Services, Summary Document (Final Report): A summary of all recommended strategies to recruit and retain a sustainable CDS workforce.
Read Blueprint CDS: A Comprehensive Workforce Strategy for Community Disability Services, Technical Document (March 2023): Following province-wide sector engagement, recommendations identified in the Initial Assessment report were validated and refined. This report provides detailed descriptions and suggested timelines for all recommended strategies, as well as summarizes all research and analysis performed to date.
Read Blueprint CDS: A Brief Summary: This eight (8) page summary provides a brief overview of the Blueprint CDS project 2022-2023
Project Blueprint CDS Advisory Committee
Drawn from leaders of diverse ACDS member organizations with expertise in human resource management and a collaborative, solution-focused approach, the Advisory Committee supports the success of Project Blueprint CDS by contributing expertise and perspectives and helping develop a collective advocacy position aligned with the project’s goals.