Philosophical Statements: First Contact Services
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PROGRAMS AND SERVICES MANUAL
POLICY
PHILOSOPHICAL STATEMENTS: FIRST CONTACT SERVICES
The mission of First Contact Services is to ensure that the AIDS Committee of Toronto's (ACT's) contacts with individuals and communities meet their assessment, information provision, and referral needs in a way that is timely, sensitive, user-centred, respectful, culturally appropriate, and welcoming.
The services represented by first contact include any service that is the first point of contact for an individual (including an agency or group representative) with programs and services of ACT. This includes services that the public can access by coming into the ACT office, phoning, sending an e-mail message, or using the ACT web-site. This also includes contact initiated in a variety of community settings by ACT in our outreach programs. These services are coordinated and integrated through an interdepartmental, staff team and the frontline efforts of the first contact volunteers.
The following is integral to the work of all first contact services:
- Services are user-centred. They provide opportunities for people to connect to services and tools supportive of empowerment and choice.
- Services facilitate access to information and services. Information is provided in a variety of forms and links people quickly and effectively to other services, either internally at ACT or externally through referral services.
- Services reflect ACT's commitment that information provision, and assessment and referral are provided for all people infected with or affected by HIV/AIDS (1996/97 Strategic Plan). Volunteers are provided the necessary first contact skills and knowledge to deliver these services.
