Canadian Council on Social Development (CCSD) Information

Social development is about improving the well-being of every person in society so they can reach their full potential. The well-being of each citizen is linked to the success of the society. In this way, social development is linked to nation building. Since 1920, the CCSD has convened not-for-profits, philanthropists, governments and the private sector to improve Canada's social well-being. CCSD has been at the forefront in putting forward unconventional solutions that became the foundation of Canada's social landscape. In the 1920s, they helped shape the first Old Age Pension program. In the 1950s, they championed Employment Insurance. They put the spotlight on the plight of Aboriginal children in the 1980s. More recently, we demonstrated why the National Child Benefit and tax credits for the working poor are wise investments. Today, the CCSD leads a number of important local and national programs, such as the Community Data Program. The approach -- Social Development by Design -- is a deliberative one that targets improved problem understanding and solving. Evidence, collaboration, analysis and solution design are undertaken in open, experimental, physical and virtual spaces known as collaboratories, leading to meaningful and sustainable solutions. Through research and partnerships with organizations across the country, the CCSD continues to act as a catalyst for innovative, evidence-based approaches to some of Canada's most intractable social challenges. Nation building through evidence, collaboration and design