Inclusion Criteria for Listings

All services and organizations listed in the 211 PEI database are assessed against the Inclusion and Exclusion Policy. The below defines how decisions for inclusion/exclusion are made and are in accordance with Inform USA (formerly AIRS, Alliance for Information and Referral Systems) accreditation guidelines.

To have your organization or service considered for inclusion, please contact the 211 PEI Data Team at info@pe.211.ca or by clicking here

If your organization/service has been declined inclusion and you would like to request further review, please contact the 211 PEI Manager at resources@pe.211.ca.

There is no fee for applying or inclusion in the 211 PEI database.

Data Inclusion and Exclusion Policy

About the 211 Database

211 Prince Edward Island (211 PEI) is a free, confidential information and referral service that enables the public to easily find community, health, and social services. Maintaining an up-to-date human services database that reflects the needs of Islanders is a key priority of 211 PEI.

The 211 PEI resource database is intended to provide:

• A source of information for 211 PEI and its call takers, and an online searchable tool for the public and service providers;
• Support for community planning or research;
• Support for specialized programs, projects and committees of 211 PEI, and its partners.

211 PEI is governed by an advisory committee who reports to the United Way of Prince Edward Island Board of Directors. All data collected is managed by staff of 211 PEI.

Purpose of the Data Inclusion and Exclusion Policy

This policy helps define the scope of the resource database and the principals upon which inclusion/exclusion decisions are made. The policy clarifies the standards and criteria for the organizations and services that will be included and excluded from the resource database.

Areas for Inclusion

The 211 PEI Inclusion and Exclusion Policy is based on the definition of human services identified by the standardization body that accredits Information and Referral Services, the Alliance of Information & Referral Systems (AIRS).

Definition: Human services “help people become more self-sufficient, prevent dependency, strengthen family relationships, support personal and social development and ensure the well-being of individuals, families, groups and communities... Human services also facilitate the capabilities of people to care for children or other dependents; ensure that protective services are available to those who are vulnerable; provide for support of older adults and people with disabilities; offer social, religious, and leisure time activities; provide for the cultural enrichment of the community; and ensure that people have the information they need to fully participate in community life.” (AIRS Standards for Professional Information & Referral and Quality Indicators, V.6.0, 2009)

The resource database includes organizations providing direct services that are available to the general public. Direct services may include the dissemination of information from authoritative sources and/or referrals to service providers. Organizations may serve the public either in person, by telephone, via the Internet (including e-mail or other online forum), or through other emerging technologies. These organizations include:

• Non-profit organizations, community-based organizations, or government entities. Non-Profit organizations providing services that require payment of fees will be included. The records will identify those services that require fees and, where appropriate, identify organizations that will consider waiving or reducing the fee for those who could not otherwise afford to partake;
• Organizations that are located outside Prince Edward Island which provide services Islanders can access;
• Faith-based agencies, if they provide services that are open to the community and do not require participation in the religious practices of the organization.

Discretionary Inclusion

• Private sector organizations may be considered for inclusion if they provide a human service that is not met by the non-profit or government sectors. The service must be offered to the general public. Whether the service is free or offered on a sliding scale will be taken into consideration in the assessment for inclusion. In these cases, only the services offered by the organization that meet the outlined criteria will be listed.
• Organizations that require an intake assessment to access services offered may be considered for inclusion if 211 staff determine that the services meet human services inclusion criteria and knowledge of the service is of benefit to the public.
• Umbrella/clearinghouse style organizations that do not provide direct services are not included in the 211 PEI database. The external resource links on these websites will be assessed for inclusion in the 211 PEI database. Newsletters are deemed a secondary service and as such are excluded from inclusion.

Prioritization

211 PEI sets first and second priorities for the listing of services in the database. Priorities are subject to change as we continually evaluate the needs of the Prince Edward Island community.

First priority areas

For first priority areas, every effort is made to have comprehensive listings of all eligible services. First priority areas include but are not limited to the following:

• Food banks, soup kitchens, and other food programs;
• Income support and financial assistance that help people to meet their basic living expenses. Included are programs that assist individuals with costs associated with housing, utility usage, and medical expenses;
• Facilities in which individuals or families who are temporarily or permanently without a home can spend the night. Programs that help people secure permanent housing;
• Programs that supply or help finance items such as clothing, furniture, appliances, and other basic needs items. Programs that accept donations of material goods and coordinate the distribution of donations to persons in need;
• Public and specialized services that assist with the transportation needs of the community and programs that assist with expenses associated with transportation;
• Health programs and services that offer preventative and reactive services including mental health services, addiction services, public health and public safety;
• Services providing education, employment assistance, or work-related training;
• Organizations providing crisis intervention, and/or emotional support;
• Organizations that provide law enforcement services, protection for individuals, legal information and legal aid;
• Organizations that provide consumer protection and/or register consumer complaints;
• Services targeted toward demographic groups that may face challenges due to language spoken, immigration or refugee status, ethno-cultural group, age, gender, sexual orientation, low income, low literacy level, homelessness, disabilities, or health issues;
• Organizations that offer shelter and care of animals, excluding veterinary clinics;
• Financial related consumer services such as credit counselling, debt management, and assistance with tax return preparation.

Second priority areas

Rather than collect comprehensive information in second priority areas, 211 PEI may refer users to services that maintain current data and provide central referral for a particular service need. The following are second priority services, unless they are targeted toward one of the first priority demographics:

• Recreation programs;
• Opportunities to participate in social activities or leisure activities;
• Consumer services permit requests and consumer education.

Additional second priority services include:

• Organizations offering activities of interest to the community but not providing a human service are considered for inclusion. Examples include groups that aim to raise awareness about a particular issue;
• Sources where persons can find out who are the political representatives in their area.

Disclaimers

• The amount of detail, the language used, and the presentation of information in describing a service, organization or branch is at the discretion of 211 PEI;
• Inclusion in the 211 PEI human services database is free and is not dependent upon the purchase of a membership, products or advertising space from 211 PEI or any of its partners;
• Inclusion of an agency or program does not imply endorsement by 211 PEI, its providers, or partners and is considered a privilege, rather than a right. Omission from the database does not indicate disapproval;
• Certain services that would not generally fit the inclusion criteria may be included, when there is evidence that inclusion would benefit the community. These decisions are made on a case-by- case basis;
• Prioritize and limit entry.

Exclusions:

• Exclude from the 211 PEI database any organization that it has, in its own discretion, adequate reason to believe may spread hatred or have a philosophy that could be hurtful to the well-being of individuals, groups or the community as a whole. Potential grounds for exclusion or removal from the database may include, but are not limited to: service non-delivery, fraud, misrepresentation, discrimination, criminal activities, or operating outside licensing mandates;
• Refuse to list or to discontinue listings for organizations that have had serious complaints lodged against them with a regulatory body, with 211 PEI itself, or with other organizations;
• Exclude agencies or organizations that provide services which are not available to the general public, or which are available only to persons holding membership or status in a specific group or organization. Exceptions may be made when the mission of the agency is to serve a particular underserved or underrepresented population. Generally, organizations that provide service only to other organizations and not to members of the public are excluded;
• Exclude information on services offered by private companies operating on a for-profit basis. 211 PEI recognizes that there may be clients of 211 who wish to engage private companies to meet certain human, social and health service needs. 211 PEI will endeavor to maintain data on the existence of trade or professional organizations, the members of which include private for-profit entities in the human, social and health fields. Callers will be referred to the relevant organization(s) but will not be provided with information or referrals to particular members of those organizations;
• Refuse to list or to discontinue listings for organizations that fail to respond to requests for additional information and/or updates to information;
• Refuse to list organizations that have been in existence for less than six months. Exceptions may be made if an organization is offering a service that meets a critical community need which is not addressed by other organizations in the community.

Appeal Process

Organizations that are concerned they have been excluded from the 211 PEI database should first make reasonable attempts to resolve the issue with 211 PEI’s Database Curator:

info@pe.211.ca

If an organization has remaining concerns after taking the above step, they should contact the Manager of 211 PEI, who will escalate further if necessary:

resources@pe.211.ca