Summary
The Department of Community and Social Services runs the Income Support program. It provides financial help to Albertans who can’t meet their basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter. The program also helps people enter, re-enter, or stay in the workforce.
Objective and Scope
The objectives of our audit were to determine whether the department has processes to:
- ensure eligible clients are receiving supports in accordance with policy
- measure and report on the performance of the program
Conclusion
We conclude that the department does not have adequate processes to ensure that eligible clients are receiving supports in accordance with its policy. We also conclude the department does not have adequate processes to measure and report on the performance of the program. Specifically, we found:
- ineffective processes to verify program eligibility and substantiate support payments
- client files without Service Needs Determinations, Employability Assessments, and service plans
- client files without evidence to support monitoring of the service plan
- inadequate processes to monitor and report on the effectiveness of the program