Support Networks and Knowledge Sharing

We seek to build and nurture local, regional and national networks, building bridges across aging, disability, and illness communities to share knowledge and work together to improve the caregiving landscape in Canada.

For Caregivers

A Social Prescription for Care

To improve the mental health and wellness of caregivers across Canada, CCCE is investing in a two-year pan-Canadian initiative, led by the Canadian Institute for Social Prescribing (CISP). Through this initiative, CISP will work directly with Caregivers Alberta, Caregivers Nova Scotia, Family Caregivers of British Columbia (FCBC), and the Ontario Caregiver Organization (OCO) to develop and expand social prescribing initiatives tailored to each organization’s unique needs.

Learn more about provincial social prescribing initiatives: 

• Caregivers Alberta
• Caregivers Nova Scotia
• Family Caregivers of British Columbia
• Ontario Caregiver Organization

Research into the impacts of social prescribing have demonstrated success in decreasing loneliness, enhancing a sense of connectedness and improving mental health. Outcomes also include a reduction in visits healthcare teams and advance health equity by reducing barriers between health and social community care to support people’s immediate social needs.    

Quebec Young Caregiver Support Hub

To grow the capacity to help young carers in Quebec and across Canada, we are supporting the creation of the Quebec Young Caregivers Support Hub, led by AMI-Québec.

The Quebec Young Caregiver Support Hub is an expansion of their existing Young Caregiver Initiative and will offer direct support to young caregivers and grow AMI’s existing community of practice to better serve young caregivers.

The Hub will:

• Serve additional high-need young carers by expanding access to youth programs and outreach, such as support groups, educational workshops and service referrals
• Expand outreach to educators and community and healthcare professionals to raise awareness of the needs of young carers
• Convene the Quebec Young Caregiver Symposium on October 27, 2023 to share best practices with health, social care, and education professionals
• Lead the Quebec Young Caregiver Aware Working Group, a convening of organizations across the province to improve services to young caregivers, strengthen partnerships and collective impact
• Support CCCE’s National Young Carers Roundtable, a national network of 20+ Canadian agencies and organizations who convene quarterly to share service models, best practices, and advocacy efforts.

Young caregivers are a vulnerable and unrecognized population in Canada. There are an estimated 1.25 million young caregivers in Canada – children, youth, and young adults ages 15 to 25 who provide care for a family member due to a chronic illness, disability, mental health concern or needs related to aging. AMI-Quebec is a non-profit organization supporting people with mental health challenges and their caregivers.

Working Caregivers Project

Sixty-two percent of caregivers in Canada balance paid employment with caregiving responsibilities for a family member, friend or neighbour. These 6.1 million working caregivers, representing 35% of the workforce, are often invisible in the workplace and manage their responsibilities without adequate support or recognition. Our research shows that over 60% of companies don’t track the number of working caregivers in their workforce or know how to identify them.

In 2024, we hosted two national roundtables as a key initiative of our Working Caregiver project, bringing together leaders and organizations committed to fostering better support for caregivers. This foundational research highlighted a promising trend: some organizations are beginning to introduce Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and peer-based supports for family caregivers.

We’re pleased to share the insights and actionable strategies from those Roundtables in our latest report. Topics include:

• Organizational Structure and Making the Business Case 
• Workplace Culture and Caregiver-Friendly Policies
• Creating Winning Conditions
• Challenges in Supporting Working Caregivers
• Employee Offerings and Program Considerations

The report also features Examples of Excellence and Leading Practices from organizations already making a difference, as well as key resources to help you take the next step.

This work builds on the foundation laid in 2023 when we conducted a comprehensive review and environmental scan, led by Christa Haanstra of 4C Strategy and Nora Spinks of Work-Life Harmony Enterprises.

Stay Connected

Together, we can work towards a more supportive environment for Canada’s working caregivers, ensuring they have the resources and recognition they need to thrive both at work and at home.

Subscribe to our newsletter to stay informed on progress of this work, including opportunities to get involved.

Supporting Caregivers Through Strategic Partnerships

Supporting Caregivers Through Strategic Partnerships is an initiative by Caregivers Alberta, which aims to build new caregiver support models in workplaces and in healthcare settings across the province.

With our support, Caregivers Alberta will grow partnerships with Alberta-based organizations and workplaces to support two emerging programs: Work & Care and Caregiver Centered Care

• Work & Care was developed in response to the needs of caregivers returning to the workplace post-pandemic. It creates awareness of the challenges experienced by employees with caregiving responsibilities, while assisting employers in helping to better support these employees.
• Caregiver Centered Care is a program of applied research & innovation in health services delivery in family caregiving, created by the University of Alberta.

The focus areas were chosen based on caregiver identified needs.

Canadian Brain Health and Cognitive Impairment in Aging Research Knowledge Mobilization (KM) Hub

The Canadian Brain Health and Cognitive Impairment in Aging Research Knowledge Mobilization (KM) Hub is a collaborative research initiative in partnership with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Institute of Aging and the Azrieli Foundation to ramp up efforts to learn more about dementia and brain health, improve treatment and outcomes for persons living with dementia, and evaluate and address mental health consequences for caregivers and different models of care.

The BHCIA KM Hub will serve as a national, centralized research resource for researchers and knowledge users, including care providers, caregivers and people living with dementia.   

Objectives:

• Accelerate and facilitate equitable and inclusive dissemination of research findings to diverse audiences across Canada
• Foster impactful, equitable and accessible uptake of knowledge created through research
• Increase collaborations and create linkages between researchers and knowledge users in the brain health and cognitive impairment in aging field
• Contribute to the dissemination of the knowledge created by research in areas related to the National Dementia Strategy.

Understanding the care landscape in New Brunswick

Caregivers across Canada face diverse challenges based on factors like age, incoming, and – perhaps most significantly – where they live. With an increasingly older population and a no formal systems of support, New Brunswick’s caregivers need programs and services more urgently than ever.

With our support, Silvermark is embarking on a needs assessment for regional support in New Brunswick to better understand the experiences of caregivers and existing support networks across the province.

Through this project, Silvermark will:

• Complete a stakeholder map to identify partners across the aging, disability and illness sectors who provide support to caregivers, and identify gaps
• Establish policy priorities to better support caregivers and caregiver support networks in the province
• Facilitate a plan to establish a formal network of caregiver support for caregivers in New Brunswick

About Silvermark

We are redefining how we value the care economy by collaborating with purpose-driven leaders to design solutions that reflect what citizens want, need, and deserve.

We are skilled in navigating the complex intersection of healthcare, social care, and housing. We focus on what citizens value to inform policy, programming, and development. Most of our projects are first of their kind as our collaborators are seeking to inspire, innovate, and execute initiatives that reflect our shared values.

We seek alignment as the foundation of everything we design. Our approach considers the perspectives of policymakers, regulators, funders, operators, and citizens. We draw upon the experience of community leaders, sector experts, thought leaders, and those with lived experience.

Young Sibling Peer Support Network

An estimated 1.2 million young sibling caregivers in Canada (under the age of 18) assist their brothers and sisters with disabilities or illness, often from a very young age. While support for sibling caregivers is expanding, significant gaps remain.

To address these needs, we proudly support the creation of the Young Sibling Support Network led by B.C. Children’s & Women’s Hospital. This new initiative, rooted in their existing Sibling Support Network, will grow the network’s capacity to support young siblings in their communities.

A new partnership of six community organizations in British Columbia, Alberta, and the Yukon will offer peer support groups, programs, and events for an estimated 720 young siblings and their families. The partner organizations include:

• B.C. Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres
• Family Support Institute of B.C.
• Emily’s Backyard (Alberta Children’s Hospital)
• Autism Yukon
• Lynx Health’s Yukon Child and Youth Clinic
• The Yukon Child Development Centre

These partners will collaborate to share resources, best practices, and strategies for supporting young sibling caregivers, addressing their unique challenges, such as loneliness and stress. Throughout the four-year initiative, ongoing research will measure the program’s effectiveness.

Transforming Caregiver Support with Trillium Health Partners

With the support of the Azrieli Foundation and CCCE, Trillium Health Partners’ (THP) Institute for Better Health is undergoing a four-year program to better integrate caregivers into healthcare teams. Recognizing the vital role caregivers play, the study seeks to explore ways to better identify, support and integrate caregivers into health and social care teams, ensuring they receive the recognition and support they deserve.

The initiative supports research and development in several critical areas, including:

• Development of resources such as programs, tools and best practices to identify, support and include caregivers in care teams.

• Creation of a co-designed tool that enhances caregiver identification, support and inclusion in care teams.

• Innovative methods for evidence-gathering using arts-based methodologies such as caregiver digital stories, photovoice albums and a digital documentary.

• Testing and evaluation of new tools or interventions in two to three health care settings in Peel Region to see how well it works and how it can be expanded.

Trillium Health Partners serves 2.2 million people a year, in one of the country’s most diverse regions. The hospital encompasses three main sites – Credit Valley Hospital, Mississauga Hospital, and Queensway Health Centre – offering the full range of acute care hospital services,​ as well as a variety of community-based, specialized programs.

Ontario Health Teams, the Ontario Caregiver Organization, the International Foundation for Integrated Care, Healthcare Excellence Canada, Family Child Health Initiatives and Health System Performance Network have partnered for this initiative to support refinement and scalability across Canada.