FSCD Agreement Approved? Your Next 5 Steps in Alberta

Received an Alberta FSCD agreement? Learn how to review your approved services, choose a provider, confirm billing and prepare for your child’s first support visit.

You Received an FSCD Agreement—What Happens Next?

Updated August 2026 | A plain-language Alberta family guide

Receiving an FSCD agreement can feel like a big step forward—and then come the next set of questions:

1. What exactly was approved?

2. How many hours can we use?

3. Do we hire someone ourselves?

4. Who pays the service provider?

5. Can we start next Monday?

   
   

Take a breath. You do not need to solve everything before supper.

Here are five practical steps to help turn your agreement into support that works for your child and family.

First, what is an FSCD agreement?

Alberta’s Family Support for Children with Disabilities, commonly called FSCD, helps eligible families plan, coordinate and access supports for a child with a disability.

Depending on the child’s and family’s assessed needs, supports may include:

1. Respite in or outside the home

2. Aide support for personal care

3. Community participation

4. Behavioural or developmental support

5. Counselling

6. Child-care support

7. Certain disability-related medical, clothing, transportation or appointment costs

8. Specialized services for eligible children with severe disabilities

   
   

Not every family receives every service. FSCD supports are individualized, and the services actually available to your family are the ones described in your agreement.

The Government of Alberta states that an FSCD agreement is a legal document outlining the services the program will provide. An agreement may last for up to three years, although its actual term will be shown in the document. Learn more from the Government of Alberta’s FSCD supports and services page.

Step 1: Read the agreement with a highlighter—not a magnifying glass

You do not have to memorize the entire agreement. Begin by finding these details:

• Your child’s name

• The start and end dates

• The approved service or support categories

• The authorized number of hours, units or expenses

• The approved rate or maximum amount, if stated

• Whether limits apply weekly, monthly, annually or for the entire agreement

• The payment or invoicing arrangement

• Any family contribution or cost-sharing requirement

• Required records, invoices or service documentation

• The name and contact information of your FSCD worker

Pay special attention to the difference between:

• Eligibility for the FSCD program, and

• Authorization for a particular service or expense 

Being eligible for FSCD does not automatically mean that every possible FSCD service has been approved.

A helpful family checklist

Before arranging services, try completing this sentence:

“Our agreement authorizes ______ for up to ______ during the period from ______ to ______.”

If you cannot confidently fill in those blanks, contact your FSCD worker before services begin.

Step 2: Turn the funding category into a real-life support plan

An agreement may use words such as “respite” or “aide support.” Those are funding categories—but your family lives in actual routines, not categories.

Think about when support would make the greatest practical difference.

For example:

1. Is the hardest time before school?

2. Would weekend respite give the family time to rest and reconnect?

3. Does your child need help participating in community activities?

4. Is personal-care support needed?

5. Are transitions, unfamiliar places or changes in routine especially difficult?

6. Would consistency with one or two familiar workers be important?

7. Are there communication, sensory, behavioural, mobility or safety considerations?

Write down your priorities before speaking with a provider. You do not need clinical language. Plain language is often more useful:

“My child needs time to become comfortable with someone new.”

“Unexpected schedule changes are difficult.”

“We need a worker who can support community activities without rushing.”

“We need someone dependable on Saturday mornings.”

These details help a provider determine whether it can offer a safe and appropriate match.

Step 3: Decide how you want services arranged

The Government of Alberta describes two general ways families may arrange FSCD service providers:

Option 1: Direct-hire

The family hires and pays an individual or organization directly. Depending on the actual relationship, the person may be an employee or contractor.

Direct-hiring can give a family considerable involvement in selecting and directing the worker. It may also bring responsibilities involving:

1. Employment standards

2. Payroll deductions

3. Canada Pension Plan and Employment Insurance

4. Income-tax remittances

5. Workers’ compensation

6. Insurance

7. Occupational health and safety

8. Record-keeping

Whether someone is legally an employee or self-employed depends on the actual working relationship, not simply the label used in an agreement.

Option 2: Work with a community agency

A community agency coordinates the workers and pays its own staff. The agency’s workers are not the family’s employees or contractors.

Before choosing an agency, ask:

1. How do you match workers with families?

2. Can we meet the proposed worker first?

3. What screening and training do workers complete?

4. How do you learn about our child’s routine and preferences?

5. What happens if the first match is not right?

6. How do you handle cancellations or worker absences?

7. Who should we contact if we have a concern?

8. How are service hours and notes documented?

9. Can you invoice FSCD directly under our agreement?

10. Are there costs that FSCD may not cover?

Families generally choose the providers who work with their child. The Alberta government also says that a family may raise concerns with a provider, ask its FSCD worker for assistance or choose a different provider if concerns cannot be resolved. See FSCD: Hire service providers.

Step 4: Confirm the billing arrangement before the first visit

This is the part where five minutes of checking can prevent five weeks of confusion.

For services outlined in an FSCD agreement, Alberta identifies two possible payment methods:

1. The family pays the invoice and submits an expense claim to FSCD for reimbursement; or

2. The organization invoices FSCD directly.

Do not assume which method applies. Confirm it with your FSCD worker and provider before services begin.

Ask:

1. Is this exact service authorized?

2. When may the service start?

3. What rate or maximum amount applies?

4. How many hours or units are available?

5. Can unused hours carry over?

6. Are travel, mileage, admission fees or activity costs covered?

7. Must the family pay first?

8. May the agency invoice FSCD directly?

9. What documents or signatures are required?

10. What happens if the provider charges more than the authorized amount?

Important billing reminder

A provider’s availability does not increase the hours or amount authorized by FSCD.

Likewise, an agency’s ability to submit invoices does not guarantee that every invoice will be paid. Services must fit the agreement, authorized dates, applicable limits and FSCD billing requirements.

If your family pays first, Alberta’s Online Claims Reimbursement Portal may be used to submit eligible expense claims. Alberta advises families to retain invoices and supporting records for seven years. Your FSCD worker can explain which records apply to your arrangement.

Step 5: Plan the first meeting as a conversation—not an audition

The first meeting is not about finding a flawless human being who has never misplaced a coffee cup. It is about determining whether the worker and family can build a safe, respectful and dependable working relationship.

Discuss:

1. Your child’s strengths, interests and preferences

2. Communication style

3. Daily routines

4. Sensory needs

5. Personal-care needs, if applicable

6. Allergies, health information and emergency contacts

7. Behaviour or safety plans

8. Transportation expectations

9. Household boundaries

10. Photography and social-media boundaries

11. Foods, activities or situations to avoid

12. How the worker should provide updates

13. What a successful first few visits would look like

Whenever possible, begin gradually. A short introductory visit may be more comfortable than immediately planning a long outing with a new person.

Your child’s voice matters too. Depending on their age and communication style, involve them in choosing activities, setting boundaries and sharing what helps them feel comfortable.

What if the first match does not work?

A mismatch does not necessarily mean anyone has failed.

Sometimes the worker is capable, the family is welcoming—and the fit still is not right. Personality, communication, scheduling, pace, interests and consistency can all affect the relationship.

Begin with a respectful conversation about what needs to change. Be specific:

“We need more advance notice about schedule changes.”

“Please allow more time before introducing a new activity.”

“Our child responds better when instructions are given one at a time.”

If the concern cannot be resolved, speak with the agency and, where appropriate, your FSCD worker. Alberta confirms that families can ask their FSCD worker for help and may choose another service provider.

Immediate safety, abuse or neglect concerns should be addressed through the appropriate emergency, reporting or protective channels—not handled as an ordinary matching issue.

What if our family’s needs change?

You do not necessarily have to wait until the agreement expires to raise a change.

The Government of Alberta says an FSCD caseworker is available during the agreement term to discuss changing or ongoing needs, and an agreement can be amended where appropriate.

Contact your worker if, for example:

1. Your child’s support needs have materially changed

2. A new safety concern has developed

3. Your family circumstances have changed

4. The existing service no longer addresses the identified need

5. You do not understand a condition or limitation

6. You are approaching the agreement’s end date

An agency can describe the support it may be able to provide, but only FSCD can decide whether government-funded services will be approved, changed or renewed.

Keep these links handy

• FSCD program overview 

• FSCD supports and services

• Choosing and hiring service providers 

• FSCD forms, guides and resources

• Find an FSCD office in Alberta

• Online Claims Reimbursement Portal

• FSCD concerns and decision-review options 

Need help figuring out the next practical step?

Still unsure what your FSCD agreement means—or what kind of support might fit your family’s everyday life?

Avelora Life provides non-medical home and community support for children, adults, seniors and families across Alberta. Services may include respite, personal support, daily-living assistance and community participation, subject to the individual’s needs, location, scheduling, staffing, safety considerations and approved funding arrangement.

Avelora Life can:

• Listen to what support looks like in your home

• Discuss your family’s routines and priorities

• Explain Avelora’s intake and matching process

• Determine whether an appropriate worker may be available

• Help identify questions to confirm with your FSCD worker

Avelora Life cannot approve, change, interpret authoritatively or guarantee government funding. Final confirmation must come from FSCD and the terms of your agreement.

Book a free consultation with Avelora Life, email info@aveloralife.ca, or call

780-801-8182 or text 825-523-8585 and 825-523-0098

There is no obligation to begin services with us.

Support should fit the person—not force the person to fit the service.