Employee and Family Assistance Program Services

The vendor is required to provide employee and family assistance program (EFAP), including support for short-term counselling, critical incident response, member well-being promotion, manager and leader training, and reporting that informs our wellness strategy.
1. EFAP services providing support for the following:
•    Stress management (personal or work-related)
•    Emotional, psychological and mental health concerns (including anxiety, anger, depression)
•    Family, parenting, marital and relationship issues (separation, divorce)
•    Grief, bereavement and loss counselling
•    Abuse including (but not limited to) intimate partner, physical, emotional, mental, sexual, or financial
•    Life transitions (adjustment to change)
•    Personal growth
•    Personal health issues, prevention, and improvement (e.g., smoking cessation, nutrition, weight loss, exercise goals, meditation, resiliency, stress management, sleep hygiene, chronic pain and disease)
•    Substance abuse, addictive behaviors, and recovery (including alcohol, drugs, gambling and smoking)
•    Workplace issues (e.g., workplace change, job loss, career transition, conflict and conflict resolution, harassment)
•    Work and life balance
•    Career counselling and development
•    New parent support services
•    Elder and family care issues including guidance for the care and support of a family member pertaining to issues such as safety, support and dementia 
•    Childcare support (e.g., sourcing childcare and schooling options; caring for children with special needs) 
•    Financial consultation (e.g., budgeting, managing debt, improving credit rating) 
•    Legal consultation (e.g., family law, wills, legal summons, landlord issues, bankruptcy. 
•    Excluding employment law) 
•    Retirement planning (including preparing for the emotional and psychological changes of retirement)
2. Credentials
•    Counsellors must be qualified, properly accredited, and experienced professionals who are equipped to help prevent or address a full range of work, health and life concerns and challenges that could negatively impact a member’s well-being while at or away from work, without in most cases requiring the member to be externally referred. 
•    Counsellors must be available who have expertise and significant clinical experience in working with first responders, with a deep understanding of their unique needs. 
•    The counsellor assigned will remain with the member for the course of their treatment, unless otherwise requested by the member.
3. Counselling
•    Confidential 24/7 live intake, assessment and consultation, by a qualified and trained specialist via a toll-free number. 
•    Including risk assessment, crisis intervention and member-counsellor matching. 
•    Short-term solution-focused confidential counselling sessions, without a fixed cap or preset maximum number of sessions per member, and no limit to the number of assessed problems (cases):
o    In-person counselling services available between 8 am – 9pm PST. 
o    Services available primarily within the city.
o    Counselling services also available by phone or online, at the member’s preference. 
o    Services fully accessible for persons with disabilities. 
o    Faith-based counselling available including but not limited to first nations. 
o    Multi-lingual counselling available (e.g., Punjabi).
o    Clear and easy transition for members using EFAP services to longer-term or specialized services, offered by appropriate community services or by private practitioners typically covered by most extended health plans. 
o    The EFAP counsellor will remain involved to support the coordination of services and to bridge the member until they are able to access external support.
•    EFAP crisis counsellors available 24/7 by phone, in situations where immediate support is required (crisis or emergency), for example symptoms of suicidal ideation.
•    Access to EFAP counsellors via telephone for managers and leaders (key persons) for advice and consultation in dealing with difficult employee issues (e.g. supporting mental health of manager’s team, facing tough conversations, manager-specific counselling).
•    Support for requests made by the city to refer employees into EFAP services.
•    Approaching the city to discuss specific situations where further sessions beyond the short-term counselling model may be appropriate for the city to consider for a member (and the applicable cost).
4. EFAP promotion support
•    Member orientation sessions (30-60 minutes). 
•    Communication materials to support the initial implementation of the new EFAP provider, for example introductory letters to members, posters, and email postcards. 
•    Marketing and communications materials for ongoing promotion of the EFAP services available, for example:
o    On-demand videos, tips, posters, blogs, etc. describing EFAP services available, and how to access them.
o    Brochures and wallet cards.
o    Participation in onsite wellness or health fairs.
o    Designing a recommended multi-modal annual marketing and communication plan.

- Contract Period/Term: 5 years
- Questions/Inquires Deadline: August 21, 2025