Results at a Glance - Evaluation of the Community Action Plan for Children and the Canada Prenatal Nutrition Program 2015–16 to 2019–20

Program Context

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) provides national leadership to support the health of pregnant individuals, as well as young children and their families who face challenges that put their health at risk. In this role PHAC provides funding to community-based organizations that develop and deliver comprehensive intervention and prevention programming through the Community Action Program for Children (CAPC), which targets children between 0 and six years of age and their families, and the Canada Prenatal Nutrition Program (CPNP), which targets pregnant individuals, as well as new parents and caregivers, and their babies.

The G&Cs budget for 2019-20 was $27.2M for CPNP and $53.4M for CAPC.

Evaluation Approach

The evaluation examined the relevance and performance of the CAPC and the CPNP from April 2015 to March 2020 in fulfillment of the Financial Administration Act (FAA) requirements. It also examined how COVID-19 affected projects and their participants. Data collection took place between June and December, 2020.

• Document and File Review
• Comparative analysis with other jurisdictions
• Literature Review
• Key Informant Interviews
• Performance and Financial Data Analysis
• Economic Analysis

What the Evaluation Found

The CAPC and CPNP complement provincial and territorial programs that focus on the general population, while PHAC focuses on Canadians that identify with specific socio-demographic characteristics. The Joint Management Committees (JMCs) played an important role in facilitating the operation of CAPC and CPNP, but not all JMC's are being used to their full potential.

The majority of CAPC and CPNP funded projects are reaching their target populations, and projects and satellite sites are primarily located in communities where there are socio-economic or school-readiness vulnerabilities. Additionally, the CAPC and CPNP helped participants gain knowledge and skills, and improve health behaviours, health, and wellbeing.

However, there remain opportunities to further optimize the reach of the programs as some projects may be providing services to individuals who do not identify with target populations or may be located in communities without the greatest need for services. Also, the needs of participants may be increasing in complexity and are sometimes beyond the scope of traditional program objectives. PHAC could enhance coordination and knowledge sharing with other PHAC programs, as well as between projects, stakeholders and jurisdictions to provide projects with resources to help participants address their needs.

Twenty years of static funding means that projects have 33% less purchasing power when adjusted for inflation. This coupled with concerns around the closed solicitation process suggests that PHAC should explore alternative approaches for the programs, while recognizing their longstanding integration in communities and complex nature of the programs including regional, provincial, and territorial variations to ensure the continued complementarity between jurisdictions.

Recommendations