Specialized Supports for Individuals with Complex Service Needs

Many individuals being supported by the PDD program have complex support needs, sometimes resulting from a dual diagnosis of developmental disability and mental illness, serious medical, or other conditions. These individuals often face significant risks related to the potential for services to collapse and for there to be a steady drift toward longer term isolation or institutionalization.

Providing effective supports to individuals with complex needs often requires significant coordination among many different programs, services, and stakeholders as well as considerable innovation and flexibility. The need for effort to build collaboration and additional resources to better support individuals with complex service needs was recognized in 2009 through the establishment of the Minister's Priority Actions for the PDD Program.

Read More about the Minister's Priority Actions

PDD Central Region has developed a number of tools, processes, and resources to assist in planning for and serving individuals with complex support needs.

  1. Innovative Service Planning

    For a relatively small group of people who experience the recurring frustration and failure of their supports, the typical planning that works so well for most, simply fails to meet their needs.

    PDD Central Region has established the Innovative Planning Process to provide additional collaboration, support, expertise, decision making ability and coordination.

    Read more about Innovative Planning

  2. Dual Diagnosis Protocol

    Individuals who have both a developmental disability and significant mental health problems often have complex and highly challenging issues. For these people, effective support requires collaboration among multiple organizations, the individual and his/her support network.

    Read more about the Dual Diagnosis Protocol

  3. Risk Assessment for Individuals with Complex Service Needs

    Risk assessment is part of all service planning. Where an individual has complex service needs, a deliberate formal approach to assessing risk can be an important way of contributing to that individual's success. Formal risk assessment is a systematic identification, analysis and evaluation of risk that can contribute to good decision making for both the individual and the services provided and is part of the range of Best Practices.

    Read more about Risk Assessment and Best Practice

  4. Central Region Complex Needs Specialist

    PDD Central Region has established a Complex Needs Specialist position to provide an additional resource for individuals, families, and service and support staff and to foster the type of increased collaboration often needed in supporting individuals with complex service needs.

    To contact Central Region's Complex Needs Specialist call Tracey Eklund (403) 340-5615 or email her at Tracey.Eklund@gov.ab.ca

Other organizations have also developed a number of resources aimed at better supporting individuals with complex service needs. Here are links to a few additional resources