About CAPC

The Community Action Program for Children (CAPC) was created in 1993 in response to Canada’s agreement to invest in the well being of vulnerable children, made at the United Nations World Summit for Children in 1990.

Local CAPC sites partner with many other organizations in order to provide locations where families can connect with their local community and obtain information, referrals and access to public health and social services.

CAPC sites adapt their activities and supports to meet the needs of the participants they serve. Programming may include family resource centres, parenting classes and drop-in groups, parent/child groups, home visiting and more specialized programs, such as support for mothers dealing with substance abuse.

There are 440 CAPC sites across Canada. While every CAPC site is unique, they all share the Guiding Principles as their foundation:

• Children First
• Equity and Accessibility
• Community Based
• Strengthening and Supporting Families
• Flexibility
• Partnerships

CAPC Management

Each provincial/territorial government signed protocols that identify the priorities of their region and set out the terms and conditions for managing CAPC sites in their respective province/territory.

CAPC is jointly managed by using committees of representatives from federal, provincial/territorial ministries and community organizations, as appropriate. These committees are often called Joint Management Committees (JMC) and they determine how best to address their regional priorities and allocate funds. As a result, there are significant differences among the provinces and territories with respect to project size, sponsors, and geographic distribution.

The program recognizes that communities are best equipped to identify and respond to the needs of their children. It also realizes the importance of working with community partners to build community capacity.