| Description: |
To address rising concerns from a number of municipal agencies within the Taber community regarding the handling of individual clients, the Taber Police Service took the lead role in organizing the Multi-Disciplinary Support Team (MDST). The MDST is an association of law enforcement, education, counseling, health and social service representatives who convene regularly to coordinate activities and share information. Two key focuses are domestic violence and issues related to drug abuse. The MDST identifies cases requiring intervention, develops an action plan and follows through while making use of the variety of social services available.
Team members include family services representatives, Horizon School Division, the Safe Haven Women’s Shelter Society, Alberta Health Services and the Taber Police Service. The MDST has been meeting quarterly and on an as-needed basis since 2002. The team has been strengthened by the addition of a growing number of municipal agencies. |
| Objective: |
The MDST seeks to ensure a coordinated effort between municipal agencies and social services so that individuals in crisis receive the care they require and the impact on family and community is reduced. |
| Outcomes: |
Progress reports on individual cases are discussed at MDST meetings, and the agencies represented on the MDST are very pleased with the results to date. The collaborative approach reduces the pressure on individual agencies to resolve difficult situations independently. Instead, different agencies with different resources and expertise work together in a coordinated effort. An evaluation of the MDST program has not been conducted and outcomes to date are anecdotal. |
| Resources: |
The establishment of the MDST did not require resources aside from the attendance of the different agencies at regular meetings. |
| Pillars: |
|
| Province: |
Alberta |
| Keywords: |
|
| Record Entry Date: |
2013-08-01 |