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enabling through evidence

Enabling social development innovation begins with working through the evidence.

While both quantitative and qualitative forms of information are important considerations in the CCSD approach, enabling work with quantitative data provides the hard evidence supporting future action.

Community Data Program

The Community Data Program (CDP), established by the Canadian Council on Social Development (CCSD), facilitates social data access at the smallest geographies possible. To facilitate moving from evidence to action, this gateway provides a low cost, diversity of data, geographically specific for local program and service planning. It also includes a replication of historical income and demographic data. Members of the CDP benefit from training to analyze community data and to use it for better decision making.

The Community Data Program is made up of a national network of more than 33 community data consortia. There is a Community Data Consortium in most big Canadian cities. Overall, the consortia represent more than 475 orgnaizations and 1,500 data users including local police, social planning councils, health and family service agencies, school boards United Ways and other organizations working on the ground for social development.

Learn more about the benefits of becoming a Community Data Program member and the service.

Community Analytics

Many public and community sector organisations face challenges in analysing complex data sets to get at the evidence they need to support effective social innovation, program development and evaluation.

The CCSD can support your organisation, through a new service called Community Analytics, drawing on three of the CCSD’s key resources:

  • extensive Community Data Program holdings
  • a broad network of over 6,000 partners across Canada
  • a wealth of experience and expertise in generating, analysing and producing custom data products

Community Analytics offers a range of services under three types of client support: Custom data analysis; Mapping & data visualisation; and Research & evaluation

Learn more about the CCSD’s Community Analytics and how to access the service.