News Release
2000-96
October 5, 2000
Government of Canada announces five centres of excellence for children's well-being
OTTAWA - Senator Landon Pearson, Advisor on Children's Rights to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Personal Representative of the Prime Minister to the 2001 General Assembly Special Session on Children, today announced the selection of the University of Toronto's Faculty of Social Work and the Child Welfare League of Canada as the co-leaders of the Centre of Excellence for Child Welfare. Senator Pearson's announcement was made on the same day as Health Minister Allan Rock and Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy named the complete list of five centres in Winnipeg.
The five Centres of Excellence for Children's Well-Being were chosen from over 70 submissions from Canadian consortia from a wide range of sectors and disciplines. The mandate of the Centres of Excellence is to improve what we know about the physical and mental health needs of children by collecting and analysing research, then creating practical information products for use on the front line.
"Keeping children and youth healthy is a longstanding priority for the Government of Canada," said Senator Pearson. "This important network led by Toronto experts will help to keep children out of the child welfare system and help them lead healthy lives."
The Centre of Excellence for Child Welfare, under the administration of the University of Toronto's Faculty of Social Work and the Child Welfare League of Canada, will work to identify the most effective prevention and intervention options for children who have entered or are at risk of coming into contact with Canada's child welfare system.
"The five centres will act as national platforms for excellence in research and knowledge on the health and well-being of children and youth," Minister Rock said. "Even more critically, they will focus on getting this information into the hands of Canadians who need it most -- parents, teachers, service providers and decision-makers."
The Government of Canada has committed $20 million over five years to create the five Centres of Excellence for Children's Well-Being. Each centre will receive between $500,000 and $700,000 per year over the five years. The centres will bring together front line health care practitioners with academics and researchers to address issues of national significance affecting the health and well-being of Canadian children. The work of each centre will be carried out by a consortium of organizations, networked together to share information. Leadership will be provided by a team of key partners from across the country. One key partner from each consortium will provide administration for the centre. The other four Centres of Excellence for Children's Well-Being are:
The Centre of Excellence for Early Child Development, under the administration of the University of Montreal, will help support parents and families to raise children with happy and healthy lifestyles by providing useful, readable information on the development of children from birth to age five. This centre will support and contribute to interjurisdictional cooperation on Early Child Development (ECD), in the context of the ECD Agreement reached by governments at the First Ministers' Meeting on September 10-11, 2000.
The Centre of Excellence for Children and Adolescents with Special Needs, under the administration of Lakehead University, will investigate the most appropriate ways to diagnose and treat young people with special needs in rural and remote communities. Related issues for examination will include the potential of information technology and the role of traditional, community-based treatments in defining a new special needs service environment in Canada's North.
The Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth-Centred Communities, under the administration of the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg, is a Prairie-based centre which will focus on how Prairie communities can create conditions to support the healthy development of children and youth in this unique environment.
The Centre of Excellence for Youth Engagement will be administered by the Students Commission, a national youth advocacy group. It will focus on how to engage youth in meaningful participation in making decisions for healthy living. A unique feature of this centre is its strategy to engage youth directly in planning, designing and implementing the centre's activities in partnership with health and academic professionals.
The centres will also contribute to the  National Children's Agenda endorsed by the Ministerial Council on Social Policy Renewal on June 21, 2000.
For further information on each Centre of Excellence, including key partners across the country, visit the Web site.
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Media inquiries:
Catherine Lappe
Office of Allan Rock
(613) 957-0200
Andrew Swift
Health Canada
(613) 957-2974
Wayne Helgeson
Social Planning Council of Winnipeg
(204) 943-2561
Dr. Richard Tremblay
University of Montreal
(514) 343-6963
Stoney McCart
Students Commission
(416) 597-8297
Dr. Julia O'Sullivan
Lakehead University
(807) 343-8199
Peter Dudding
Child Welfare League of Canada
(613) 235-4412
Public inquiries:
(613) 957-2991
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