Research summary - Adapting a vulnerability lens in the crisis response

Official title of the full report: Adapting a Vulnerability Lens in the Crisis Response: A COVID-19 Case Study

Author of the full report: Service Research Division

Alternate formats

Why this study

Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) seeks to improve its understanding of individuals living in vulnerable situations and how to best support them. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, ESDC identified the need to better understand the service needs and challenges of marginalized and underserved individuals. We conducted a research project to fill our knowledge gaps in this area. The project examined 3 questions:

1. What definitions and usage of the term ‘vulnerability' do we encounter in the public policy context?
2. What are the service needs and barriers of individuals experiencing vulnerabilities in the context of the pandemic? and
3. What are the best approaches to reduce those barriers?

What we did

We carried out a two-phase project. In the first phase, conducted in 2021, we extensively researched the literature and relevant government documents from around the world. In the second phase, conducted in 2022, we conducted focus group sessions with ESDC regional employees to get their front-line point of view. These inquiries provided us with valuable national and international perspectives on our research questions.

What we found

On the notion of vulnerability:

• Governments often use terms such as “vulnerable”, “marginalized”, “underserved”, and “underrepresented” to describe the same thing across different policy, program, and service areas.
• However, using such terms can sometimes have negative implications. It can make it seem like it's the fault of the people who are vulnerable or marginalized, rather than the system that created their situation
• Additionally, it's essential to consider how different types of vulnerability and marginalization are connected. Government employees are aware of these issues and are working to address them

On the service needs, experience, and barriers during the pandemic:

• Discussions confirm well-known service barriers such as lack of access, lack of communication/information and complexity in program design, etc.
• The barriers to accessing digital services identified are also well known and fall into categories such as:
  • accessibility
  • affordability
  • competency and comfortability
  • personal preferences of talking to a human
  • fear of making mistakes, and
  • complex design of digital services
• Discussions also highlighted that these barriers are often connected, and their interactions can make things even more difficult
• The first sets of pandemic responses did not consider the specific needs of the most marginalized individuals
• The main initiatives identified to address the needs of the most marginalized individuals came at a later stage of the pandemic responses. These initiatives focused on:
  • creating new or using existing partnerships with third party actors, and
  • strengthening the community organizations' capacity to better serve the marginalized individuals

On best approaches to reduce barriers

• The best practices identified to improve services for marginalized individuals focused on two key areas:
  • designing the programs and services from the perspectives of the most marginalized individuals, and
  • increasing collaboration within and outside the ESDC portfolio to ensure wrap-around services

What it means

These research findings will strengthen our understanding of the:

• complex and interrelated aspects of vulnerability
• barriers and challenges individuals face when accessing our services
• international promising practices to inspire the future design and delivery of services for individuals experiencing marginalization, and
• lessons learned from the pandemic context to inform our strategies for future crises

Overall, we can use these findings to ensure innovative and inclusive service design and delivery for the most marginalized individuals.

Contact us

Strategic and Service Policy Branch, Service Policy and Strategy Directorate, Service Research Division

Email: esdc.nc.sspb.research-recherche.dgpss.cn.edsc@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca