Shaping Public Health Practice in the 21st Century: Core Competencies for Public Health in Canada

In October 2005, the Federal/Provincial/Territorial Joint Task Group on Public Health Human Resources published a pan-Canadian Framework for Public Health Human Resources Planning which identified the key building blocks to strengthen public health capacity. A foundational building block was the identification of core competencies for public health. Competencies contribute to strengthening the public health workforce. They identify the essential knowledge, skills, and attitudes required for public health practice. They provide a basis to: develop curriculum and consistent job descriptions, assess performance and training needs, inform practice based research, and support credentialing and accreditation. Since 2005, the Public Health Agency of Canada has led the development of core competencies for public health. Through an extensive consultation process, draft sets of core competencies were shared and discussed with over 3,000 public health practitioners, including representatives from various disciplines, organizations and all levels of government. The consultation process included: regional meetings, a pan-Canadian survey, implementation pilots and work with specific disciplines and professional organizations. Released in September 2007, the Core Competencies for Public Health in Canada: Release 1.0 reflects the feedback and suggestions gained in the consultation. This poster describes the consultation process and results. The poster identifies tools, strategies and supports that were identified in the consultation which will facilitate the implementation of the Core Competencies to strengthen public health practice. Examples that are highlighted include curriculum development; continuing education opportunities, staff orientation, performance development and human resource management.