We're co-creating a modern Intake system for the social services sector that is high impact & focussed on transformational goals. We're leveraging technology; Machine Learning, predictive analysis, modern databases & client focussed UI to help people succeed at life changing goals.

The challenges we presently face are…

1. 1.Our intake system is primarily about assessing eligibility; it passively reinforces an adversarial relationship.
2. 2.Data collection is a chore; its aggregation & analysis is manual and tedious effort directed at funders, and not a source of real-time practical insights that helps the client in front of you. Data is seen as a tether, not a guiding light.
3. 3.Data hygiene & data mobility in the sector is low.
4. 4.Intake is often a highly emotional time, requiring high personal disclosure. It can be (re)-traumatizing for a client.
5. 5.Data collection practices don't sufficiently factor in mental health.
6. 6.Intake is the ideal time to identify referrals and options for clients; but it is generally not the best time to present numerous options to a client, and it's easy to forget to follow-up with referrals at subsequent meetings because their nature is more transactional (eg. "here is your food hamper") than relational (eg. "Were you able to connect with…").
7. 7.The solutions, referrals and options identified for a client depends on which staff member they see, how rushed that person may be, their awareness of resources, new developments, and a host of complex criteria.
8. 8.We measure deficiencies — need for food hamper, poverty, etc — not skills, aspirations and success — goals, achievement, & impact.

IFSSA's Preparations

1. 1.Identifying meaningful indicators & articulating clearly the impact we want to have through a six-month cohort with Dialogues in Action.
2. 2.Working with the University of Alberta, MacEwan University, and Roundhouse to examine current processes from a Public Health lens and conduct a literature review.
3. 3.Working with the Edmonton Social Planning Council, University of Calgary, and NorQuest College to do deep-research on long-term clients and the roots of dependency on our services.
4. 4.Working with Communities United, an umbrella group of North East Edmonton social service organizations to identify approaches for shared referrals and scalable solutions.
5. 5.Developed UI/UX with MetaLab.co & defined MVP feature set. ($150k investment)
6. 6.Secured funding for Product Manager.

What IFSSA can bring

1. 1.Sector Driven Product
   ​IFSSA is colloboratively working with Bissell to develop a product by and for the sector. This approach leads to stronger buy-in and a genuine focus on the sectors needs. IFSSA has 25+ years of social services experience that will support adoption and rollout of a robust referral network.
2. 2.5+ years of client data
   ​IFSSA has 5 years of data on clients, their usage patterns, demographics, and services accessed, as well as practical experience on data gathering habits, challenges & routines.
3. 3.Support building the market
   ​We believe the creation of an ML based intake system would lead to marketable products with strong revenue potential that can deliver value to non-profits and insights to policy makers, planners and others.
4. 4.Charitable status
   ​IFSSA's charitable status allows us to issue in-kind tax receipts and apply for grant funding.
5. 5.Positive press, employee engagement, employee attraction/ retention
   ​We believe this project will have numerous positive aspects for our partners, including good press, stronger employee engagement, fresh leads, and new revenue streams.
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