Focus on children and youth

Why Peel’s CSWB Plan is prioritizing children and youth, with a focus on early intervention and long-term well-being.

Peel has a large and growing population of young people. The systems that support them, like schools, mental health services, housing, recreation, and family supports play a key role in shaping their future and the overall wellbeing of the community.

The Community Safety and Well-being (CSWB) Plan focuses on children and youth to create early system level change. There is a particular focus on middle childhood (ages 7 to 14), an important stage that influences long term health, learning, and social outcomes.

Our goals

While the plan recognizes there are many issues that impact community safety and well-being, five interconnected goals have been identified to strengthen child and youth well-being and the conditions surrounding them:

Strong relationships and belonging
Healthy in body and mind
Safe, inclusive places to grow
Equitable access to opportunities and stability
Youth voice, agency and leadership

Our guiding principles

As we deliver on these goals a set of guiding principles informs how we continue to work together to advance CSWB work and initiatives. These principles emphasize:

Building trust through transparency, shared accountability, and timely action
Elevating community voice and lived experience
Advancing equity, reconciliation, and anti‑discrimination
Strengthening and scaling innovation