Evidence and Evaluation

Once risks are prioritized, if gaps in service or programming are found in any or all areas of the plan, research should be done to determine the most appropriate evidence-based response to be put into place to address that risk, while considering local capacity and resources. Some may find after risk prioritization that they already have evidence-based strategies in place that directly respond to identified risks that will be addressed in their plan. At the planning stage, it is important to identify the intended outcomes of those activities in order to measure performance and progress towards addressing identified risks through the development of a logic model and performance measurement framework. Some outcomes will be evident immediately after activities are implemented and some will take more time to achieve. Whether planning for promoting and maintaining community safety and well-being through social development, working to reduce identified risks, or mitigating elevated risk situations or incident responses, it is equally important for planning partners to set and measure their efforts against predetermined outcomes.

See Tool 6 for guidance on performance measurement.

Putting the Plan into Action

It is important to ensure that strategies put into place in each area of the plan for each priority are achievable based on local capacity and resources. To achieve success, the right individuals, agencies and organizations an need to be involved, outcomes benchmarked, and responsibilities for measurement identified. Developing implementation plan will help municipalities, First Nations and their partners stay organized by outlining who doing what and when, in each planning area, who is reporting to whom, and the timing of progress and final is reports. The date of the next safety and well-being planning cycle should align with the other relevant planning cycles (e.g., municipal cycle) and budgeting activities to ensure alignment of partner resources and strategies. Once the plan is documented and agreed upon by multi-sector partners, it is then time to put it into action with regular monitoring, evaluation and updates to achieve community safety and well-being.

See Appendix G for a sample plan.

Conclusion

Municipalities, First Nations and their partners should consider these steps when planning for community safety and well-being. The most important considerations to remember when planning is that the framework is understood, the critical success factors exist in whole or in part, and that the plan responds to local needs in and holistic way.