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The Ministry of Community Services’ mandate is to promote sustainable, liveable communities that provide healthy and safe places for British Columbians. The Ministry has three core business areas: local government; women’s, seniors’ and community services; and executive and support services. It is also responsible for providing municipal services for the University Endowment Lands.

Strategic Direction

The Ministry’s Information Management (IM) and Information Technology (IT) direction and strategies align with the Ministry’s business objectives and that of the office of the Government Chief Information Officer (GCIO).

Many of the Ministry’s clients, including local governments and transition houses, use some form of electronic media such as Internet and faxes for data collection, payment, and management reporting. Over the next several years, the Ministry will continue to replace paper-based processes with computer-based systems, with internet access, that will improve service to clients.

The Information Systems Branch will steward all enabling initiatives while promoting partnerships with the private sector in the development of system solutions. IM/IT goals strive to align and achieve Ministry goals to enhance the government experience for both government clients and citizens.

The Ministry also works in partnership with the Ministry of Employment and Income Assistance (MEIA) and the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD), to improve collaboration within the social services IT sector.

The Ministry of Community Services will continue to explore cross-government IT sharing opportunities and will share IT solutions with interested parties within each Ministry.

Major Projects

The Ministry’s Information Resource Management Plan is focused on two strategic initiatives:

Local Government

• Local Government Information System – this project will replace a number of obsolete systems and will integrate into a single system allowing web access for local government. This enhancement will present a more holistic view of local government. The project will also eliminate duplication of data by integrating into the Corporate Accounting System (CAS).

Women’s, Seniors’ & Community Services

• Contract management and data entry system for Community Programs Branch -this project assists the branch to effectively fund, manage and administer programs for women, children and youth through automated solutions, enhanced reporting capabilities, and a CAS interface. This enhanced system will integrate and streamline business processes as well as remove administrative data entry.