Canada Awards for Excellence

The largest department within the Regional Municipality of Durham, the Social Services Department is comprised of more than 2,000 employees who provide care, support and services to children, families, seniors and individuals with various needs. Its experienced and qualified staff serve people throughout their life’s journey. 

The department’s partnership with Excellence Canada began over 15 years ago. Today, its vision is to care deeply for staff, so they in turn can care deeply for the people they serve. The goal is to create a culture that is “massively human” where everyone is valued and feels a strong sense of belonging. Embedded into the department’s culture are foundational principles of care, excellence, learning and leadership. The Excellence Journey has led to an important business framework and an effective, balanced approach to continuous improvement that engages employees and encourages new ideas.