It is evident from the community engagement sessions that there is a tremendous amount of great work happening in local settings across Ontario to increase community safety and well-being. Although there were many community safety and well-being promising practices mentioned at the community engagement sessions, the following section represents a snapshot of those practices that exhibit an assessed strength with at least one of the following six foundational principles of achieving community safety and well-being:

  • diversity
  • community leadership
  • integrated, multi-sectoral, multi-disciplinary partnerships
  • knowledge and information sharing
  • evidence and evaluation
  • sustainable responses

This section is organized by the above noted principles and the practices are highlighted underneath the principle that represents its greatest assessed strength. The Ministry encourages communities to consider the foundational principles, and learn from one another when developing and implementing local community safety and well-being practices.

The locally-identified promising practices highlighted in this section do not reflect a full compendium, and have not been evaluated by, and are not endorsed by the Ministry or Government of Ontario. The practices highlighted below identify the communities which mentioned and validated the information, and those communities referenced below also do not represent a conclusive list of where the engagement sessions were held.

For more information on the following practices please conduct research and you may also contact SafetyPlanning@Ontario.ca. To determine whether these practices are suitable to respond to local circumstances and needs within your community, it is encouraged that a thorough examination be undertaken.

Diversity

Ontario’s demography is diverse in many ways and continually changing. Community safety and well-being practices should be developed and delivered to recognize and respond to the diverse needs of the regions, populations and groups in Ontario as a one size fits all approach is not appropriate. It is imperative that practices demonstrate an understanding of how people are excluded and marginalized, acknowledge cultural appropriateness and reference research regarding the local demographics to understand community needs. As such, each of the promising practices identified in this section respond to the diverse needs of the communities in which they were mentioned.

Community leadership

Community safety and well-being is a community-wide responsibility and it requires dedication and input from everyone. Communities are in the best position to accurately identify risk factors and as a result, can best create responses to address their specific needs. It is through strong community leadership that everyone can identify their role and take ownership and responsibility for helping to create safe and healthy communities.

The following initiatives are examples of community mobilization at the grassroots level. These initiatives demonstrate that when community members work together to address local issues, they can have a positive impact on their respective neighbourhoods.

East side pride

East side pride, created by a group of citizens in Chatham-Kent in 1999, is a grassroots organization with a mission to build and maintain a safe and healthy neighbourhood. It was established by a group of volunteers who wanted to take a stand to reclaim their neighbourhood and continues to be run by volunteers who develop programs that proactively address crime and promote community engagement. Collaborating regularly and with multiple sectors, including police, the municipality, various non-profit organizations, a community centre, a local women’s centre and several local businesses, they engage in activities to better their community and encourage positive behaviour in their neighbourhood.

Our West end initiative

Our West end initiative is a grassroots organization located in Windsor that is made up of community members committed to making their neighbourhood a safe place to live, work and play. They work with and empower residents through collaborative roundtable discussions to identify local assets and community needs. As a result of these discussions, Our West End Initiative is able to support residents by providing the tools and opportunities necessary for the development of programs and creation of additional resources. Supplementary research and focus groups are on-going and will be used in the development of a multi-dimensional plan for improvement, driven by the needs of the neighbourhood and local residents.

New opportunities and hope supportive partnerships advocating community empowerment

New opportunities and hope (NOAH) was formed by Sudbury residents interested in working together to make their neighbourhoods healthier and more productive places to live. Through NOAH, it was determined that a ‘one stop shop’ offering a number of different supportive services through a single point of access under one roof would be beneficial for the residents living in the involved neighbourhoods. As a result, the concept of ‘The neighbourhood resource centre’ was born, which has since evolved into NOAHs Supportive partnerships advocating community empowerment (SPACE).

New opportunities and hope supportive partnerships advocating community empowerment is a collaborative partnership among more than 40 different community agencies working together to create hope and provide inclusive services to community residents. This includes educational and cultural workshops, community barbeques, flu vaccine clinics and other community events. Core partners of NOAH SPACE include community organizations, a child welfare organization, police, a district health unit and an Aboriginal organization. Through NOAHs SPACE, community partners come together under one roof to share knowledge, meet residents with identified needs, provide accessible resources and referrals, develop opportunities and implement sustainable solutions that will create healthier outcomes for all.

These community leadership practices primarily target the following risk factors and enhance the subsequent protective factors:

Risk factors

  • crime in the area
  • social disorganization – for example, high poverty and residential mobility
  • neighbourhood characterized by poor housing, lack of recreational, health and educational facilities

Protective factors

  • access to resources, professional services and social support
  • positive cohesive communities
  • strong police/justice system engagement/partnership with the community

Muslim family support service

The Muslim family support service is designed to assist individuals, couples and families in the Muslim community in London in their efforts to resolve personal and interpersonal difficulties. This is done through culturally sensitive outreach to the Muslim community and mainstream services, with the aim to build bridges of understanding and to facilitate connection. This service encourages agencies to be more flexible and provides information to assist in understanding cultural appropriateness. This service is sensitive to language and religious differences, and recognizes that the needs of one group may be different from another. It is oriented to short-term crises and assists families in learning about and accessing mainstream services.

The Muslim family support service was developed to meet community needs identified during a Family safety project. An advisory committee consisting of members of the Muslim community and representatives from social service organizations was established to support and guide the work of the service.

The Muslim family support service primarily targets the following risk factors and enhances the subsequent protective factors:

Risk factors

  • feeling of powerlessness
  • sense of alienationd
  • limited attachment to the community

Protective factors

  • integration of families into the life of the community
  • access to resources, professional services and social support
  • positive cohesive communities

Integrated, multi-sectoral, multi-disciplinary partnerships

Everyone plays a role in community safety and well-being. Therefore, it is essential for these practices to be a coordinated and integrated effort between relevant human service providers and sectors at the local level.

The following programs include meaningful multi-sectoral partnerships that address risk factors associated with crime, victimization and harm from various angles.

Youth outreach under 18 response services

Youth outreach under 18 response services (YOURS) was created in 2005 to help eliminate the service gaps for youth who are on waitlists by providing them with short-term support and referrals until other services may be accessed. Specifically, YOURS targets unattached or disengaged male and female youth in Port Hope between the ages of 12 and 18 who exhibit behavioural issues, desperation, frustration, anger management issues, eating disorders, sexual abuse, substance abuse, are involved in the criminal justice system and/or are at risk of dropping out of school.

YOURS is an example of multiple sectors working collaboratively to coordinate service delivery. Program referrals are provided by local school boards, health organizations, youth justice participants and families of youth, or the youth themselves. In addition, child and family services, counselling centres, community mental health and child welfare organizations provide supportive services to youth involved in the program to ensure the youth receive the assistance they require.

YOURS primarily targets the following risk factors and enhances the subsequent protective factors:

Risk factors

  • feelings of hopelessness
  • behavioural issues
  • prior delinquency

Protective factors

  • access to resources, professional services and social support
  • personal coping strategies and optimism
  • positive expectations for the future

Furthering our communities uniting services

Furthering our communities uniting services (FOCUS) was implemented in Toronto in 2013 and aims to reduce/prevent crime and social disorder and increase community safety and well-being, while building meaningful collaborative, multi-sectoral partnerships. FOCUS is an example of a Situation Table that is being implemented across Ontario. A Situation table consists of human service providers from different sectors working together to provide immediate, coordinated and integrated responses to address situations facing individuals and/or families at acutely elevated risk, as recognized across a broad range of service providers. Situation Tables convene to discuss acutely elevated risk situations that have been brought forward by an agency sitting at the table and within 24 to 48 hours, the relevant service providers stage an intervention to help connect that individual and/or family with the appropriate supports and services to address their acute needs.

FOCUS involves multiple sectors coming together once a week, including but not limited to, housing, social services, health, justice and education. Participants may vary depending on the community. Each partner has a different expertise and brings with them knowledge of resources, programs and services that are available in the community. After a situation has been identified, the group determines the most appropriate agency to provide assistance. FOCUS aims to connect individuals and/or families to resources before they are victimized and/or engage in criminal activity, thereby reducing the likelihood for solely emergency response.

Situation Tables primarily target the following risk factors and enhance the subsequent protective factors:

Risk factors

  • marginalization
  • lack of accessibility to a continuum of services
  • ineffectiveness of police/justice system in engaging/ mobilizing/partnering with the community

Protective factors

  • access to resources, professional services and social support
  • strong police/justice system engagement/partnership with the community
  • effective/efficient delivery of police/justice system services

Community outreach and support team

Community outreach and support teams (COAST) provide an integrated, community-based response to individuals aged 16 and over who are marginalized, vulnerable and experiencing mental health and/or addictions issues. Located in Halton, COAST aims to reduce the amount of time police officers spend dealing with calls that would be better handled by the health care system, and divert individuals experiencing a mental health crisis from emergency rooms and the criminal justice system. COAST also enables individuals in crisis who have a serious mental illness to remain safely within their own environment where management plans can be developed to diffuse a crisis situation.

COAST involves a partnership between the justice and health sectors. It generally consists of a plain clothes police officer and a mental health crisis worker. In other communities, patrol officers respond to calls and, based on information obtained, determine if reaching out to a COAST is appropriate. Some provide follow up and outreach to family members and support agencies.

COAST primarily targets the following risk factors and enhances the subsequent protective factors:

Risk factors

  • poor mental health
  • feelings of powerlessness
  • ineffectiveness of police/justice system in engaging/ mobilizing/partnering with the community

Protective factors

  • access to resources, professional services and social support
  • effective/efficient delivery of police/justice system services
  • high awareness of determinants of well-being

Niigan Mosewak

Niigan Mosewak, mentioned in Orillia, is an Ojibway phrase meaning “Walking Forward” and is used as the descriptor for an Aboriginal youth diversion program developed in 2008 that targets at-risk youth aged 13 to 17 from Aboriginal communities in Nipissing, Manitoulin, Parry Sound and Sudbury. This program is delivered as a summer camp that includes youth and adult mentors and provides youth with the tools they need to develop into healthy and contributing citizens in their community. Following the traditional teachings of the Medicine Wheel, this program encompasses a holistic approach and incorporates physical, emotional, spiritual and mental aspects of being.

Walking the path

With its inception in 1996, Walking the Path, also mentioned in Orillia, teaches youth across Ontario in kindergarten to grade 12 about the history, beliefs and cultural traditions of Aboriginal people. Based on Anishnawbe cultural teachings, the program can be altered to suit the needs of various communities and is designed to provide students with insight into indigenous culture and to instill pride in Aboriginal youth by teaching them about where they came from. In ten modules, Walking the Path includes youth empowerment strategies, promotes self-concept, self-esteem and respect for others, and also deals with issues including healing from trauma, abuse, racism and combating stereotypes, prejudice and biases.

Niigan Mosewak and walking the path

Youth are referred to Niigan Mosewak by the police, courts, probation and parole services, local schools and community and health organizations. In addition, Walking the Path was developed in partnership between a local police service, the provincial police and a local school board. Families, teachers, police and communities are also involved in planning and delivering educational initiatives to youth. Elders are engaged in the development and delivery of both programs, ensuring that Aboriginal people’s needs and capabilities are recognized. It is important for programs to acknowledge the diverse needs of Aboriginal people in particular, as First Nation and Aboriginal communities face unique challenges with respect to crime, violence and victimization. Acknowledging these challenges and their unique history by involving the public and elders will help to ensure that Aboriginal communities are receiving assistance that is culturally appropriate.

Niigan Mosewak and Walking the path both primarily target the following risk factors and enhance the subsequent protective factors:

Risk factors

  • victimization/abuse
  • isolation
  • impact of assimilation policies

Protective factors

  • personal coping strategies
  • positive relationship with an adult
  • access to resources, professional services and social support

Caring dads

Caring dads is a specialized program for men seeking to improve their parenting skills through counselling and educational sessions. Implemented in Halton, the goal of Caring Dads is to create healthy parenting and eliminate family violence by prioritizing the needs of children and ensuring men understand the impact of their behaviour on their children and partner. On a weekly basis, men are encouraged to take responsibility for their actions, while being taught how to engage with their children in an empathetic and nurturing way. Caring Dads includes a mother contact component, where mothers of the men’s children are contacted on a minimum of two occasions and provided with referrals, supports, advocacy services and, if necessary, immediate safety planning. Program facilitators also spend considerable time communicating with referral agents to share information about the men’s progress and potentially ongoing risk to his children or his children’s mother. This program acknowledges gender differences, as men and women often do not have the same experiences and face different challenges. Participants in this program develop skills for interacting with their children in healthy ways, including learning to recognize and avoid the use of controlling, intimidating and abusive actions.

Caring dads was developed in collaboration by university professors, community organizations, child protective services, batterer intervention programs, children’s mental health agencies, women’s advocates, centres of children and families involved in the justice system, family resource agencies and probation and parole services. The partnerships between academia and community organizations in the development of this program created a strong foundation of theory and practice. In addition, referrals to the program are provided by the local child welfare organization, courts, probation and parole offices; family and self-referrals are also accepted.

Caring dads primarily targets the following risk factors and enhances the subsequent protective factors:

Risk factors

  • parental attitudes that support violence
  • mistreatment during childhood
  • neglect

Protective factors

  • adequate parental behaviours and practices
  • stability of the family unit
  • positive support within the family

Knowledge and sharing information

A lot of information already exists on community safety and well-being efforts. Facilitating the sharing of this knowledge and information allows communities to build capacity using existing resources, ideas and practices and avoid the duplication of services. It is also important to share information within the existing legislative framework with relevant partners about individuals who are at risk of victimization or offending, as this creates a greater likelihood that individuals will be connected with the appropriate services.

The following practices highlight various ways of sharing knowledge and information between partners, stakeholders, clients and the public, including formal protocols, public meetings and informal sharing agreements that align with the existing legislative framework.

New directions treatment program

The New directions treatment program was created in 2010 and provides counselling services to youth aged 12 to 18 in Barrie who have been convicted of a sexual offence or related charge. It aims to reduce risk factors for sexual offending among youth and strengthen their families by educating parents and increasing their level of pro-social engagement with their families, peers and the broader community. The program includes a comprehensive risk assessment, and individual and family counselling. It is delivered in partnership between a community organization and probation services. While this program is generally only provided to youth for the duration of their probation order, if they have not completed their treatment, their involvement in the program may be extended.

The New directions treatment program has developed policies and procedures for the sharing of client’s personal information with other service providers. For example, release of information forms must be signed by participants before program staff can contact certain professionals. At the beginning of the program, youth are required to sign consent to service forms that outline the organization’s practices regarding confidentiality. Program staff also have conversations with participants regarding information that needs to be shared with their parent/guardian (for example, safety concerns about themselves or towards others) and information that can be kept between them. 

The New directions treatment program primarily targets the following risk factors and enhances the subsequent protective factors:

Risk factors

  • prior delinquency
  • aggression
  • poor emotional regulation

Protective factors

  • sense of personal responsibility
  • adequate parental supervision
  • positive support within the family

Community addiction response strategy

The Community addiction response strategy (CAReS) was implemented in London in 2008 and aims to improve the housing and health outcomes of individuals and families experiencing homelessness. CAReS seeks to alleviate demands on the health, social and criminal justice systems by using a collaborative, community-based approach to achieve housing stability when assisting those experiencing homelessness or those at risk of being homeless. Recognizing often complex and co-occurring challenges associated with addictions, mental health, trauma and poverty, responses are provided based on the results of an assessment and individual priorities. CAReS is funded by the municipality and delivered in partnership with a local public health organization, addiction centre and a homeless shelter.

To ensure that community partners, stakeholders and the public are aware of CAReS, updates are provided at quarterly community committee meetings. Community members and organizations that provide services to people experiencing homelessness and have shared goals are invited to attend the meetings where they will receive status updates on CAReS programming, activities and emerging community trends.

CAReS primarily targets the following risk factors and enhances the subsequent protective factors:

Risk factors

  • ack of affordable housing
  • poverty
  • poor mental health

Protective factors

  • access to resources, professional services and social support
  • positive cohesive communities
  • effective/efficient delivery of police/justice system services

Violent threat risk assessment protocol

Violent threat risk assessment (VTRA) protocol aim to reduce violence, manage threats of violence and promote individual, school and community safety through early intervention, support and the sharing of information. The VTRA protocol has been implemented in Belleville, Cornwall, Halton, York and Sarnia, and support collaborative planning among schools, community partners, families, children and youth, and the development of safe, caring and restorative approaches. Specifically, they promote the immediate sharing of information about a child or youth who pose a risk of violence to himself or herself or to others.

The foundation upon which the VTRA protocol rests, is that schools, police, health and community agencies will work together and identify/develop strategies to mitigate potential threats of violence. While information sharing practices vary between communities, in most circumstances formal information sharing protocols are signed between partners in order to facilitate the process.

Violent threat risk assessment protocol primarily target the following risk factors and enhance the subsequent protective factors:

Risk factors

  • negative influences in the youth’s life
  • sense of alienation
  • cultural norms supporting violence

Protective factors

  • caring school environment
  • positive relationship with an adult
  • access to resources, professional services and social support

Rapid mobilization table

The Rapid mobilization table (RMT) is another example of a Situation Table that has been operationalized in Ontario. Implemented in Sudbury, it consists of human service providers from different sectors collaborating to provide immediate, coordinated and integrated responses to support individuals, families, groups or locations that have been identified by partners to be at acutely elevated risk. RMT convenes twice a week to identify and discuss situations that place community members at a high risk of harm. Once a situation is identified, all necessary agency partners participate in a coordinated, joint response ensuring that those at risk are connected to appropriate, timely and effective supports. RMT data is used to identify trends, common risk factors and potential gaps in community services. This information, including potential opportunities and recommendations, is shared with community leaders to inform community planning and decision-making.

In order for Situation tables to be successful, they require participating agencies to share the most basic and limited personal information about individuals or families at acutely elevated risk, to best address their needs and offer the appropriate support services. Obtaining consent to share personal and confidential information is the first priority of a Situation table. In cases where consent cannot be obtained at the outset, RMT uses a four filter approach to ease the flow of limited personal information, working within existing legislation. This approach sets parameters on what information is being shared and with whom to guide each discussion and limit the disclosure of personal information. The following four filter approach was developed and refined by the Community mobilization Prince Albert team in Saskatchewan and was quickly adopted by all operational Situation tables across their province:

  1. Filter one – Preliminary screening
    • Agencies understand they can only bring forward a situation for discussion once they have exhausted their means to be able to appropriately handle the situation within their own agency.
    • If the agency determines the risk factors are beyond their scope to mitigate, and could be better handled by a larger discussion across multiple human service sectors, then the situation is brought to the table.
  2. Filter two – Identifying acutely elevated risk
    • When a situation is brought forward to the table it is first presented in a de-identified manner. 
    • After a brief discussion around the table, a consensus decision-making process is used to determine whether or not the situation meets the threshold of an acutely elevated risk.
  3. Filter three – Limited information shared
    • If there is consensus at the table that an acutely elevated risk exists, limited personal information is shared about the individual and/or family, including but not limited to, a name, date of birth and address.
    • This provides an opportunity for the agencies around the table to see if they already provide services to the individual and/or family as well as identify which agencies should be involved in the intervention stage.
  4. Filter four – Full discussion with relevant agencies
    • Agencies named as a result of filter three take the discussion offline at the end of the meeting and share further information amongst each other as needed to determine the appropriate next steps.

Evidence and evaluation

Developing community safety and well-being practices based on evidence helps to validate their significance and ensure investments are yielding benefits to the community. It is also important to identify and understand the needs of the local community and use practices that will meet those needs, based on research. Intended outcomes must be identified in the development stage in order to measure performance and progress made towards addressing identified issues both during and after implementation. Outcomes should be used to measure the impacts or changes the practices are expected to make in the community. Monitoring and evaluation should be ongoing as some outcomes may be evident immediately after practices are implemented and some may take more time to achieve. When performance measurement focuses on the achievement of outcomes, as well as completion of activities, it presents opportunities for ongoing learning and adaptation to proven good practice.

The following are examples of community safety and well-being practices that incorporate research and/or evaluation in their development, implementation and/or refinement.

Stop now and plan (SNAP)

Utilized in several communities, including Barrie and Toronto, Stop now and plan (SNAP) is a gender sensitive, cognitive behavioural family-focused program that provides a framework for effectively teaching children and their parents how to regulate emotions, exhibit self-control and use problem-solving skills. It was developed for children between the ages of six and 12 who have come into contact with the law and/or show early signs of serious anti-social, aggressive or delinquent behaviour.

Over the course of the intervention, SNAP helps to regulate angry feelings by getting participants to stop, think and plan positive alternatives before acting impulsively. Training manuals have also been developed to help Aboriginal communities implement this program, recognizing their unique challenges. In order for an organization to offer SNAP, they must obtain a license from the originating organization and complete a training and consultation agreement.

SNAP primarily targets the following risk factors and enhances the subsequent protective factors:

Risk factors

  • poor self-control and problem solving
  • aggression
  • impulsivity

Protective factors

  • effective problem solving skills
  • sense of responsibility
  • pro-social behaviours

Triple P – Positive parenting program (Triple P)

Triple P – Positive parenting program (Triple PP) is a parenting and family support system run by an accredited Triple P practitioner and delivered to parents with children up to 16 years of age in communities including Barrie, Windsor and York. It aims to prevent and treat problems in the family, school and community before they arise and create family environments that help children realize their potential.

This program draws on social learning, cognitive behavioural and developmental theory, as well as research into the risk factors associated with the development of social and behavioural problems in children. Triple P provides parents with the skills and confidence they need to be self-sufficient and independently manage family issues by teaching them effective parenting strategies, including how to promote child development and manage common child behavioural problems.

Triple P primarily targets the following risk factors and enhances the subsequent protective factors:

Risk factors

  • family violence
  • parental attitudes that support violence
  • few or no positive role models

Protective factors

  • personal coping strategies
  • pro-social behaviours
  • adequate parental behaviour and practices

Stop now and plan (SNAP) and Positive parenting program (Triple P)

Stop now and plan (SNAP) and Positive parenting program (Triple P) are evidence-based practices that were developed more than 25 years ago with ongoing research. They have each been evaluated extensively by the central agencies (and others) that originally developed the practices and issue licences to implement them in communities across Ontario. Through ongoing pre/post/follow-up evaluations, random control trials and cost benefit-analysis with participants, results of SNAP evaluations are positive. Some successes include that SNAP has been found to have positive impacts on a parent’s ability to use effective child management strategies, reduced child behaviour problems and the likelihood that a child will become involved in the criminal justice system. Third party external evaluations have also been conducted to ensure successes are repeated and return on investment is obtained. Evaluation results for Triple P are also promising and have shown positive effects on observed and parent-reported child behavioural problems and parenting practices at the family and community level. Triple P has also demonstrated positive influences on population-level child maltreatment indices.

Positive alternatives to school suspension program

The Positive alternatives to school suspension program (PASS) program began in 1999 as part of an endorsed progressive discipline intervention plan of the local boards of education. It is an alternative to student home suspension offered to youth in grades four through 12 in Sarnia that aims to reduce the number of school suspensions, increase their focus on school, help youth feel comfortable in seeking support and improve their coping and social skills. Students are required to complete school work and engage in practices to help develop social competency skills. Participating schools provide youth with academic materials to ensure they make progress in their studies at their grade level. This program is a collaborative partnership between the local school boards, college placement students and a community organization.

The PASS program was developed in response to community research that identified a need for structured suspension based supports and re-integration plans for youth with complex needs and/or involvement in the criminal justice system. In the early stages of development, a detailed logic model was created to outline the program goals, short, medium and long-term outcomes and on-going activities that would be implemented to help achieve the noted outcomes. In addition, on-going evaluations of program content and delivery are conducted by asking youth and their parents/guardians to assess the program at the end of each suspension. Results to date have been reported as positive and the majority of participants and their parents/guardians have indicated that the PASS program has helped them deal with the reasons they were suspended. Youth have also suggested that going forward they are more likely to think about the consequences of their actions. The program continues to evolve based on emerging trends and evaluations received.

The PASS Program primarily targets the following risk factors and enhances the subsequent protective factors:

Risk factors

  • low academic inspirations
  • low self-esteem
  • sense of alienation

Protective factors

  • effective problem solving skills
  • positive school experiences
  • sense of responsibility

Neighbourhood based crime prevention

Established in 2006 in Ottawa, Neighbourhood based crime prevention evolved out of a crime analysis led by a municipal crime prevention council in partnership with the police, city departments and a local university that helped identify high-risk neighbourhoods in the area. Based on the analysis, the municipal crime prevention council engaged multi-sectoral stakeholders in three priority neighbourhoods and provided funding for a staff member at three agencies in the respective neighbourhoods to help address locally identified issues. In each neighbourhood, agency staff brought together a table of residents and community partners to analyze specific issues and priorities in that neighbourhood and develop initiatives to meet the diverse needs of the community and cater to the local demographic.  Some stakeholders involved in Neighbourhood based crime prevention include police, resident and business associations, community agencies, education, health, housing and social services.

The municipal crime prevention council provided technical and research support, funding and assisted in outreach to ensure communities access city resources and services. In addition to using local research to determine where supplemental resources would be most effective, an external consultant was hired to assess the overall effectiveness. Results were extremely positive, including reduced levels of crime in the targeted neighbourhoods between 20 and 27 per cent, and improved relationships between citizens, various services and the police.

Neighbourhood based crime prevention primarily targets the following risk factors and enhances the subsequent protective factors:

Risk factors

  • crime in the area
  • feeling unsafe in a neighbourhood
  • poor community design

Protective factors

  • access to resources, professional services and social support
  • positive cohesive communities
  • integration of families into the life of the community

Strengthening families for the future

Created in 2007, Strengthening Families for the Future is a prevention program for families with children between the ages of seven and 11 who are at risk of substance abuse, depression, violence, delinquency and dropping out of school. In Kenora, it is delivered over nine to 14 consecutive weekly sessions each lasting for approximately three hours. This program involves parents and children coming together to share a meal, followed by a one hour individual session for parents and their children, and a session with the entire family where they practise the skills they learned in their individual sessions. This program is powerful in that it facilitates change within the family by involving the whole family and not just parents or children.

Strengthening families for the future is modelled on a successful program developed in 1988 by a professor at the University of Utah. The original program has been evaluated extensively in various countries across the globe. Since being implemented in Ontario, the program has been updated to include information from local treatment agencies. This adaptation of the program has also undergone extensive evaluation and has been identified as a best practice program by Health Canada. Preliminary results show that Strengthening Families for the Future is a promising intervention for fostering significant improvements in family functioning, parenting and a child’s psychological functioning.

Strengthening Families for the Future primarily targets the following risk factors and enhances the subsequent protective factors:

Risk factors

  • behavioural problems
  • feeling of hopelessness
  • families with few resources

Protective factors

  • self-esteem
  • personal coping strategies
  • positive parent-child attachment and interactions

Sustainable responses

While lasting conditions, structures, programs and policies take time to establish, sustainable responses are critical to supporting communities’ ongoing ability to build capacity and respond to social harm. Without sustainable, long-term practices in place, crime and victimization will reoccur, and the health and well-being of the community will not be maximized.

The following practices have elements that are important to ensuring sustainability, such as addressing co-occurring challenges at the system level, using volunteers to reduce financial pressures, building local capacity to develop strategies and establishing a train-the-trainer model to help ensure longevity of the practice.

Aspire

Established in 2010, Aspire seeks to prevent violent youth crime by improving academic achievement and building peer relationships. This program provides children in kindergarten to grade six in under-serviced neighbourhoods in Mississauga with one-on-one after school tutoring and peer mentoring sessions at no-cost. Students are paired with a peer tutor that is in high school or college/university, meeting once a week after school to work on areas of academic need. In partnership with other community agencies, the municipality and local police service, students are provided with a convenient location for tutoring and attending events.

Aspire is structured around a community operated model, where youth and young adults are encouraged to take ownership of the program. While agency staff provide support in program delivery, volunteers ensure that the program does not solely rely on funding. Volunteers are provided with incentives to participate in the program; for example, they can earn volunteer hours as part of their educational requirements.

Aspire primarily targets the following risk factors and enhances the subsequent protective factors:

Risk factors

  • low self-esteem
  • low academic aspirations
  • negative influences in the youth's life

Protective factors

  • optimism and positive expectations for the future
  • positive school experiences
  • participation in extra-curricular activities

Community crisis response program

Since 2008, the Community crisis response program (CCRP) has provided support and resources to Toronto communities impacted by violent and traumatic incidents (for example, a shooting). This program is activated when a violent incident occurs in a neighbourhood and involves helping communities develop localized strategies, including the development of a coordinated community crisis response protocol. CCRP leads an integrated response by coordinating municipal services, school boards, police, the public, community/faith-based organizations and residents to assist with a neighbourhood’s response and recovery. It operates under three key components: crisis intervention, prevention and preparation.

CCRP seeks to improve the safety and well-being of neighbourhoods by increasing the local capacity to develop collaborative strategies to intervene, prevent and prepare for violent and traumatic incidents. It connects community stakeholders in order to address locally identified safety challenges by enhancing local service delivery and leveraging inter-sectoral linkages. The success of CCRP has resulted in it being embedded into the core business of the municipality in which it originated.

CCRP primarily targets the following risk factors and enhances the subsequent protective factors:

Risk factors

  • violent victimization
  • feeling unsafe in a neighbourhood
  • low level of perceived police/justice system legitimacy

Protective factors

  • personal coping strategies
  • positive cohesive communities
  • high awareness of detriments of well-being

The Fourth R

The Fourth R is an optional interactive classroom curriculum that aims to promote healthy relationships, reduce youth relationship violence and decrease substance misuse in Ottawa. It was developed and evaluated by an addictions and mental health centre in partnership with a local school board. The Fourth R focuses on relationship goals and challenges that influence youth decision-making through a gendered approach by emphasizing gender-specific patterns and aligning them with activities. It is integrated into existing grade seven, eight and nine health and physical education curricula and is administered in co-ed or sex-segregated classrooms. In addition, there are Aboriginal and alternative education versions of the Fourth R that align with cross-curricular expectations. Each of these programs seek to involve community members in delivering positive messages to youth about healthy relationships. Teachers and parents are engaged using strategies that assist in building bridges between community agencies and schools to increase access to resources and services for youth.

Using a longer-term approach of working with youth, the Fourth R consists of 21 sessions delivered over the course of a school year. Teachers are trained to deliver the program and are provided with curriculum materials. After they are trained, they do not need to be re-trained, but are provided with program updates as they are made available. In addition, “Master Trainers” are also trained within each school board in the community to ensure that they have the capacity to offer the training themselves. The Fourth R addresses co-occurring challenges by teaching lessons and using activities that teach youth negotiation, delay and refusal skills, help youth define and rehearse responsibilities associated with healthy relationships, and allow the use of role-playing to increase interpersonal problem-solving skills.

The Fourth R primarily targets the following risk factors and enhances the subsequent protective factors:

Risk factors

  • peer pressure
  • negative influences in the youth’s life
  • family violence

Protective factors

  • personal coping strategies
  • pro-social behaviours
  • sense of responsibility

Conclusion

Whether it is demonstrating strong community leadership, meaningful partnerships or comfort with sharing knowledge and information, using research and evaluation, or being innovative to achieve sustainable solutions that are responsive to the diversity of the community, it is evident that Ontario communities are implementing social development approaches to achieve greater community safety and well-being.