Our Core Services

Supporting people to be valued citizens is at the heart of what we do

Who we help and how.

Skills Society supports people with developmental disabilities, their families and communities in the Edmonton area.

We customize our support for each individual we serve

At Skills we respect the right of every individual and their family to be centred in decisions that shape the support they receive. We strive to ensure our supports are empowering and help people to live their best lives possible as full citizens that belong in their communities. The leaders and support workers you meet through Skills are guided by our core values and a strong conviction that everyone deserves to be treated with respect, dignity and have opportunities to be part of community.

We provide support that is:

  • Flexible, recognizing that people and their circumstances can and do change

  • Customized to fit each individual

  • Designed to create meaningful and purposeful daily lives

  • Built around continuous learning — meeting an individual’s needs, and innovating as those needs change and evolve

  • Focused on helping people find their gifts and ways of contributing them in community

How are our services accessed?

Everyone supported by Skills Society first has to meet Government of Alberta eligibility criteria and have approved funding for either:

After meeting eligibility and approval by Government, individuals are assigned a Government case worker who helps to connect the person with service providers like Skills Society. If you would like Skills Society to provide services to you or a loved one, you can let your Government case worker know and they will reach out to us based on Government waitlists for services.

At Skills, we build each of our services to help people with disabilities thrive in five pillars of everyday life.

What this looks like:

  • Making a house feel like a home

  • Building and strengthening connections with roommates, neighbours, friends and family

  • Establishing healthy and meaningful routines together

  • Completing day-to-day tasks like budgeting and grocery shopping

What this looks like:

  • Making and sustaining friendships along with healthy, romantic relationships

  • Establishing social networks with friends, neighbors and colleagues

  • Nurturing family relationships

What this looks like:

  • Finding and maintaining paid employment

  • Developing new skills through volunteering

  • Pursuing education or job-related training

What this looks like:

  • Setting and attending medical appointments

  • Establishing healthy eating habits and exercise routines

  • Assisting with personal hygiene

  • Supporting medication management

  • Supporting mental and emotional wellbeing

What this looks like:

  • Participating in neighbourhood activities

  • Sharing talents with the community

  • Discovering fun and meaningful things to do

We help adults with developmental disabilities, children and their families, and survivors of acquired brain injury

  • Skills Society is proud to provide community support for approximately 295 adults with disabilities each year. We create individualized support plans tailored to an individual’s needs and wants, as well as to the funding available to them. For some people, we may provide a few hours of outreach support each week. For others, it involves 24/7 supported community living, including assistance with daily living and/or support to create and maintain meaningful connections with friends, family and the greater community.

    Funding for Adult Supports comes from the Persons with Developmental Disabilities Program (PDD), a part of Alberta’s Ministry of Human Services. All adults supported by Skills Society meet PDD eligibility and are approved for funding.

  • Typically, families of children with significant disabilities often have a more difficult time finding services to suit their needs. Skills Society’s Children’s Respite Home serves these families with out-of-home respite care for children with disabilities. Services can range depending on the complexity of care required, but all support is provided by well-trained, experienced staff in a safe and supportive environment. About 50 to 60 children access Woodcroft respite services

    Skills Society works with Children and Family Services to determine eligibility and all children and families supported by Skills Society have a current and active contract with the Family Support for Children with Disabilities (FSCD) Program – part of Alberta’s Ministry of Human Services.

    Learn more about Skills Society’s Children’s Respite supports and services here.

  • Skills Society is one of two agencies in Edmonton to receive funding from Alberta’s Ministry of Human Services to provide community-based support to adult survivors of an acquired brain injury. In collaboration with the referring Alberta Brain Injury Network, three employees of Skills Society support survivors of acquired brain injury. Programs include rehabilitation, accessing resources and services, relationship building, and establishing connections in the community. These flexible supports are available to people who are over the age of 18.

    Anyone who has been diagnosed with an acquired brain injury can apply for support from Skills Society and referrals often come from health care professionals and caregivers.

    To learn more, please email Nancy Kirugi at nancyk@skillssociety.ca.

    Referral Form

    More information about Skills Society’s ABI Program can be found here.