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Policy projects
Sectoral Involvement in Departmental
Policy Development (SIDPD)
The Sectoral Involvement in Departmental Policy Development (SIDPD)
Program was established as a means of funding strategic, short-term activities
that would enhance policy development, improve service delivery to Canadians
and strengthen communities across Canada . $28.5M was allotted to this
program through the Federal Voluntary Sector Initiative (VSI). In total,
over 100 organizations worked with 17 government departments and agencies
on projects covering a wide range of policy priorities, with both national
and regional interests. These projects were completed in early 2005.
Health Canada obtained approval for six projects, totaling $6M in contributions
for fiscal years 2002 - 2005. The funds were managed by the Office of
the Voluntary Sector and, in some cases, by relevant areas within the
Department under the terms and conditions of the Population Health Fund.
Each project was directed by a collaborative steering committee, which
included representatives from Health Canada.
Voluntary Organizations Involved in Collaborative
Engagement (VOICE) in Health Policy (National)
Hosted by the Canadian Public Health Association, the VOICE Project
offered opportunities for voluntary sector organizations working in health
to build on existing expertise and share policy knowledge with other organizations.
This project also provided an important opportunity for members of the
voluntary health sector to bring their expertise and perspectives to health
policy issues and engage in discussions with the PHAC and HC about health
policy development.
The goals of the VOICE in health policy Project were to:
- Facilitate mutual learning and development of policy expertise in
the voluntary sector;
- Promote understanding of the role of the voluntary sector and collaboration
between the voluntary sector and Health Canada in the area of policy
development; and
- Develop sustainability models for collaboration of health policy.
Voluntary organizations working in health were fully engaged throughout
the project.
For more information on this project, please see the VOICE
project section of this website.
Integrated Prevention System - (National)
The Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance of Canada (CDPAC) was created
in 2001, through a combined effort of the Canadian Diabetes Association
(CDA), the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS), the Heart and Stroke Foundation
of Canada (HSFC), and Health Canada . The mission of this alliance is
"to foster and help sustain a coordinated, countrywide movement for an
integrated, population health approach to chronic disease prevention through
collaborative leadership, advocacy, and capacity building." The resulting
network of organizations will help to increase capacity for both the sector
and the government to work horizontally and create credible and inclusive
policy.
Project Objectives:
- To identify and engage key stakeholders in the work of the CDPAC;
and
- To build a national integrated chronic disease prevention system
in collaboration with key national and provincial stakeholders.
Project Activities:
- Perform a needs assessment, to determine what elements are necessary
to support the disease prevention work of stakeholders;
- An Environmental Scan of current chronic prevention work to outline
existing national and provincial prevention activities, and the resources
connected to them;
- Develop a database of federal, provincial, territorial, and community
level stakeholders, in the areas of health, education, and recreation;
- Create a communications strategy to facilitate information sharing
(website, email list, etc.);
- Design various models to describe the activities and mechanisms needed
for a long-term, cost-effective prevention system.
- Develop social marketing and advocacy plans, which includes the development
of a business case with economic analytical information;
- Host regular workshops, consultations, and committee meetings for
key stakeholders, to involve them in the design and development of the
chronic disease prevention system; and
- Create a 5-year action plan for the implementation of a national
integrated prevention system.
For further information, please consult the bilingual project website
CDPAC  .
All Together Now: A Proposal for a Multicultural Coalition for Equity
in Health and Well Being - (Regional, Alberta)
The Multicultural Health Brokers Cooperative created this project in
order to help bring an end to the persistent inequalities in Canadian
society for immigrant and refugee communities. By way of collaborations
with interested communities, the projects helped to facilitate the identification
of policy issues impacting the health of community members, and the development
of both short-term and long-term processes to address those inequities.
Project Objectives:
- To enable ethnic minorities to generate collective knowledge about
health issues and recognize the policy implications of these issues;
- To create opportunities for institutional/sector partners to build
their "participatory capacity";
- To introduce ethnic minority communities to the language and process
of policy development;
- To foster organizational skills of ethnic minorities to act in their
own interest and become agents of policy;
- To establish an alliance of organizational and community partners,
across health sectors, committed to ethnic minorities and equity in
health; and
- To share collective experience and learning.
Project Activities:
- Form a steering committee that will guide the project, play the role
of a resource group, and advise the project coordination team;
- Establish/renew key contacts in minority communities and invite them
to participate in the project via meetings and information sessions;
- Select and train Community Animators who work with ethnic minority
communities, holding a minimum of three workshops per community to teach
policy and health equity identification;
- Create a "Core Group" of select community members, who will plan
the Forum and work toward the establishment of the Coalition;
- Host a Community Celebration on May 17th, 2003 , to thank all the
communities that participated in the project, sustain project momentum,
and invite further participation;
- Host a Multicultural Forum on Health and Well Being on September
13, 2003 , to launch the Coalition. 230 attendees are participated in
workshops and developed policy recommendations that formed the initial
agenda for the Coalition;
- After the Forum, develop a plan to realize the agenda created at
the forum; and
- Establish an independent non-profit organization, the Multicultural
Coalition for Equity in Health and Well-being, which will continue working
toward project objectives.
The final report on this project is available for download in English
or in French. For more information, please contact the Multicultural Health
Brokers Co-op at mchb@interbaun.com.
Citizens for Mental Health - (National)
This project involved the five regions of the Canadian Mental Health
Association: British Columbia and Alberta ; the Prairies; Ontario ; Quebec
; and the Atlantic Region. Using a multi-level approach, these regions
worked with local and national mental health organizations to develop
actions, tools, and strategies needed for national mental health policy
reform; and to enhance the capacity of the voluntary sector to partner
with the federal government in on-going mental health policy initiatives.
Project Objectives:
- To build networks and connections between the federal government
and mental health stakeholders across Canada ;
- To develop policy recommendations on mental health reform and population
mental health promotion as they pertain to federal jurisdiction; and
- To contribute to the development of a Canadian vision for mental
health policy.
Project Activities:
- The creation of 10 informative ‘backgrounders,' based on information
gathered from over 700 local and national organizations that represent
mental health, mental illness, and determinants-based interests;
- 23 local forums held across the five regions at which mental health-related
organizations discussed mental health issues experienced by their respective
communities, and created lists of 8 to 12 of the most important issues;
- At Regional Synthesis Forums, project workers compared the results
of local meetings and began to develop federal-level policy directions
based on these results.
- Representatives from each region attended a two-day National Synthesis
Forum to flesh out a policy framework based on a compilation of the
recommendations that emerged from the final round of regional synthesis
for a;
- Post the national forum results on the Internet, to inspire open,
web-based discussion; and
- Create and strengthen organizational relationships, which will ultimately
enhance policy-building capacity in the area of mental health;
Final project reports, ‘backgrounders,' and other project-related
publications are available for download in both official languages. Please
consult the project website for more information (www.cmha.ca/citizens)
.
Ontario Seniors' Participation in Health and Housing Policy - (Regional,
Ontario)
The Ontario Coalition of Senior Citizens' Organizations (OCSCO) developed
this project as a means of exploring health and home care options that
could provide Canadian seniors with an alternative to institutional long-term
care facilities. From 2002 - 2004, OCSCO worked with almost 300 seniors
and 32 seniors' organizations from across Ontario , directly involving
them in the creation of policy recommendations for future health and housing
policy directions.
Project Objectives:
- To strengthen policy capacity of the voluntary sector through knowledge
development and dissemination activities designed to involve seniors
in exploring alternatives to institutional long-term care, in areas
where health and housing intersect, like supportive housing and other
aging in place initiatives;
- To facilitate the involvement of seniors through the development
of a website and email network; and
- To set an agenda for future health and housing directions.
Project Activities:
- A literature review of recent publications in the area of seniors'
health and housing needs, which provided some background and established
areas that needed further investigation;
- A multicultural survey that was completed by 138 people representing
21 ethnic groups;
- Interviews with approximately 20 experts from government, research,
health care, and senior housing communities;
- Consultations with 16 community focus groups (increased from the
10 groups that were initially proposed);
- A two-day forum entitled "Changing Regional Issues into National
Policies," in which 93 participants, 8 volunteers, and 4 OCSCO staff
members worked together to generate policy recommendations in 12 key
areas, including Aboriginal issues; lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans-gendered
issues; safety and security; and access to information and services;
- The establishment of a network of seniors' organizations who participated
in the consultations and who now communicate with each other on various
issues;
- The creation of a web portal that followed the progress of the project
and now provides information on seniors' health and housing issues (
www.ocsco.ca ) ;
and
- Presentation of a final report to CHMC and Health Canada (50 pages,
plus extensive appendices). The report is entitled Seniors' Health and
Housing Crossroads: Exploring Alternatives to Long-term Care Facilities.
For further information, please consult the project
website ,
where the Final report is available for download in both French and English.
Aboriginal Health Planning in the North Okanagan - (Regional, BC)
This project was a joint collaboration between the Social Planning Council
of the North Okanagan , and seven aboriginal bands of the North Okanagan
and Thompson regions. The intent of the project was to develop a new model
for increasing the ability of aboriginal groups to participate in policy
discussion and development with provincial and federal planning bodies.
Project Objectives:
- To develop and articulate a model for genuine involvement of aboriginal
communities in the development and implementation of health policy impacting
those communities; and
- To support and document the development of an inclusive, community
based process of collaboration between First Nations and aboriginal
organizations, the voluntary sector, and the provincial Interior Health
Authority.
Project Activities:
- A literature review to research existing empowerment and community
development strategies, and determine which concepts would be most useful
in this situation;
- Gradually develop a "Building Collaboration" model, which takes the
form of a flower, with each petal representing one phase of community
development;
- Design and implement Training Workshops that contribute to the growth
and skill development of members of aboriginal communities, thereby
improving their capacity to participate in policy making discussions;
and
- Hosting of a two-day workshop, in which the phases of the collaboration
model were put into action, thereby testing its efficacy in the development
of a collaborative environment.
A final project report and a report on the Building Collaboration Model
are available, in English only, on the Social
Planning Council for the North Okanagan SPCNO
website. Or, download our French translations of the Evaluation Report
and the Building Collaboration Model.
For more
information on the SIDPD Projects listed above, contact the Office
of the Voluntary Sector at: 613-952-0902
Policy Internships and Fellowships Program
(PIAF) Program
The Policy Internships and Fellowships (PIAF) Pilot Project, under the
Capacity Joint Table of the VSI, was launched in mid-May 2002. It was
managed by the Centre for Voluntary Sector Research and Development (CVSRD)
of the University of Ottawa and Carleton University , in partnership with
the University of Victoria 's Centre for Public Sector Studies (CPSS).
This unique project involved exchange initiatives, placing voluntary
sector employees in the federal government and vice versa. The fellowships
focused on policy-relevant research that directly relates to the voluntary
sector, which provided specific knowledge, skills and expertise required
by both sectors. They also provided an opportunity for greater collaboration
and information sharing between government, academics, and the voluntary
sector.
In 2003-2004 five public servants successfully undertook placements
in the voluntary sector. In 2002-2003 three public servants and six practitioners
from the voluntary sector successfully undertook their placements. To
see their innovative policy work, and the summary report of the "Policy
Internships and Fellowships - Bridging the Policy Dialogue between Voluntary
Organizations and the Federal Government", please refer to the CVSRD
website: www.cvsrd.org.
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