Provincial Prevention Priority
Promoting positive mental health changes futures.
Provincial Prevention Priority
With a wide spectrum of programs and services, Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) helps build resilience, so people are able to overcome life’s challenges. Programming is designed to be inclusive, consistent, culturally relevant, and aimed at making the greatest long-term impacts.
Programs target those in situations that put them at a higher risk for mental health concerns. Services range from youth development to solution focused one-to-one supports and neighbourhood-level relationship building.
With a “Helping People to Help Themselves” approach, FCSS programs work to create resiliency, self-sufficiency and overall positive outcomes by preventing mental health and addictions problems.
Reducing social isolation and depression, improving community cohesion, and maximizing participation all contribute to lower rates of mental health and addictions challenges in the future.
The number of volunteers who help out in their community is a good indication of how engaged that community is. Volunteer opportunities offer an effective way to welcome members from all demographics, ensuring more people benefit from programming, and feel engaged. Allowing people the chance to directly contribute to the community increases their sense of self-worth.
Targeting younger people and their family units with the right support is the most effective way to change futures. Creating healthy lifestyles, healthy relationships at home and with peers, and community engagement can help Alberta’s youth avoid mental health and addictions issues.
Prevention Strategies
Along with the provincial priorities, FCSS programs follow the Government of Alberta’s prevention strategies – creating impacts across a wide spectrum of social challenges with interventions to help prevent housing insecurity and homelessness.
Learn how we bring these strategies to life through programming across Alberta.