Operations

Cyber Security

In 2023, cybersecurity remains a critical focus at LRCSS as we adapt to the evolving needs of our community. With the resumption of in-person services, our team members now connect to our systems from diverse locations, introducing new complexities to our security landscape. To navigate this transition confidently, we have strategically increased our adoption of Chromebooks as our primary computing devices. Our progress has been substantial, with 84% of our devices currently being Chromebooks. We aim to increase this figure to between 92% and 95% by the end of the next fiscal year. These devices provide built-in encryption, multi-factor authentication, and seamless integration with Google Workspace, ensuring a robust level of digital security.

Expanding our Chromebook usage significantly enhances our security capabilities, as they are specifically designed to resist malware and phishing attacks. Chromebooks utilize sandboxing techniques, which isolate each application and prevent malicious code from spreading across the system. In addition, automatic updates and continuous feature development ensure that Chromebooks stay up to date with the latest security patches and enhancements.

Furthermore, our adoption of Google Workspace and Drive further strengthens our defences. Leveraging AI capabilities, Google Workspace actively detects threats, helping to identify and prevent potential security breaches. It also provides robust data loss prevention mechanisms and enforces advanced access controls, ensuring our confidential information remains protected.

Together, these integrated security features of Chromebooks and Google Workspace enable us to maintain a high level of protection against malware, phishing, and other security risks, bolstering the security of our digital infrastructure and safeguarding our valuable data.

However, we remain proactive in addressing the increasing use of AI for more sophisticated phishing, vishing, and ransomware attacks. As a response, we prioritize keeping our team well-informed and equipped to actively contribute to protecting our digital assets.

At LRCSS, we firmly believe that cybersecurity is a shared commitment across our entire organization, not limited to the IT department. By fostering a culture of security awareness and empowering every team member to play an active role in safeguarding our clients' data, we fortify our defences against potential threats. Through our focused security approach and strategic implementation of secure technologies, we are well-prepared to meet the cybersecurity challenges of 2023 and ensure the safety and security of our client's valuable data.

Privacy

This year's focus was to support our clients to engage in self-advocacy. At Lake Ridge Community Support Services, we strive to implement assent-based interventions with all our clients. Assent is the willingness and/or agreement of someone who cannot give informed consent to participate or engage with a program, treatment plan, process, or action. The Agency has developed a working group of dedicated employees alongside the Privacy Officer and Ethics Coordinator to establish consent/assent best practices and processes. This working group has developed objectives and action items in the following areas: Education on consent/assent/ethics, documentation review and updates, policy and procedure review and resource development for employees, clients and caregivers. This working group will be looking to provide more in-depth training on consent and assent in the near future.

Lake Ridge Community Support Services is dedicated to continuing to incorporate current privacy legislation and BACB Code of Ethics into our service so that we can empower our clients to choose to engage in services that are inclusive and individualized

Web & Social Media

This past year we continued to use our web presence to generate engagement and program participation with our clients and their families. Additionally, we leveraged social media to drive participation in events and fundraising activities like the Stone Soup Conference.

We continue to grow our presence online and leverage social media as a powerful tool to connect with our community.