Canadian Government Executive - Volume 23 - Issue 03

10 / Canadian Government Executive // March/April 2017 Serving Seniors: Service Delivery A s governments around the world move towards the digital trans- formation of service delivery, ensuring social inclusion is a pressing imperative. Like other countries, Canada has advanced the provision of information and services to citizens in an increasingly electronic format. At Employment and Social Development Canada, one of the largest federal depart- ments serving Canadians, many services and information are delivered by Service Canada – the brand with which most Ca- nadians are familiar. In the context of rapid technological change, digital services are seen as be- ing in sync with citizens’ expectations of getting information and doing business electronically with ease. The movement towards having all services available elec- tronically is anticipated to improve access for citizens, lower program delivery costs, and increase ease of obtaining informa- tion and conducting transactions elec- tronically. While these assumptions have been borne out to varying degrees across programs, the full potential of digital ser- vices has yet to be realized. The well-established evaluation func- tion at Employment and Social Develop- ment represents the crossroads between program performance, social science methods, and policy advancement. By as- sessing “what works,” the evaluation func- tion is well-placed to contribute to the evidence base needed to support an effec- tive “transmission grid” along the policy- program-delivery continuum. The implementation of even the best- designed policies and programs can be dif- ficult and result in unintended outcomes. Evaluation findings across programs show that implementation and on-going deliv- ery can and does impact program success; moreover, certain sub-populations are consistently found to face challenges. We focus here on findings that emerged from qualitative data (data collection methods included in-depth interviews with Service Canada staff, and focus groups with organizations serving spe- cific sub-populations of seniors) gathered between 2008 and 2015 as part of evalua- tions of three ESDC programs targeting Canada’s senior population: • Summative Evaluation of the Canada Pension Plan Retirement and Survivor Benefits (forthcoming) • Evaluation of the Guaranteed Income Supplement Take-up Measures and Out- reach (2010): http://publications.gc.ca/ collections/collection_2010/rhdcc-hrs- dc/HS28-174-2010-eng.pdf • Evaluation of the New Horizons Program for Seniors (2015) : https://www.canada . ca/en/employment-social-development/ corporate/reports/evaluations/2015-new- horizons-seniors.html While seniors are not a homogeneous group, these evaluations identified simi- lar sub-populations of seniors who may experience common barriers in accessing services and, in some instances, benefits to which they are entitled. Across these three evaluations, sub- populations of seniors identified as vulner- able included: older seniors, immigrant seniors, Indigenous seniors, and seniors in rural/remote geographic areas. The common barriers they found in- cluded: lack of comfort using computers; lack of computer literacy; limited or no ac- cess to computer, printer, or Internet; need for assistance or one-on-one support; lan- guage or cultural barriers; literacy issues and difficulty filling in forms; mistrust or fear of government; physical and/or cog- nitive issues; access to banking including lack of a bank account and lack of access to a bank and/or automated teller machines (ATM). Any of the groups of seniors may experience one or more of these barriers. The findings from one evaluation indi- cated that seniors accessed Service Cana- da via all three of its service delivery chan- nels (i.e., in-person, telephone, and the Internet). It was also reported that seniors also gained information about pensions via word-of-mouth from friends and fam- ily. Service Canada Centre interviewees also reported that their senior clients who had used the in-person service relayed that they had not accessed the Service Canada website or called 1-800-O-Canada. This resonates with findings from another Ongoing Challenges Christine Minas Lisa Comeau © Laureen Krumshyn