A database of youth health promotion policies
In 2020, we conducted a policy scan to identify publicly available health and wellbeing-related policies that are of relevance to children in Nova Scotia. We included provincial-level policies (i.e. those that are overseen by the Nova Scotia Health Authority, the Department of Health and Wellness, the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, the Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal) as well as those developed by Regional Centres for Education (RCEs) across the province and the Conseil scolaire acadien provincial.
We compiled all relevant policies into an online database, which is presented below. The database can be sorted according to many dimensions (e.g. school region, government department, category, health topic, year), which makes it user-friendly and easily accessible for those who may wish to undertake analyses using this information. The database also highlights the Health Promoting Schools Pillar(s) that each identified policy has been associated with, and the Health Promotion Topic(s) that each serves to address.
How to use the database
The table is dynamic, allowing users to sort (e.g. by name or year), filter (e.g. show only nutrition-related policies, or those from a certain department/jurisdiction), or search (e.g. find all policies about 'transportation'). The row height can also be adjusted online to allow more or less text to be read. Individual policies can be expanded ('expand record') to view a pop-up summary. Furthermore, the underlying data can easily be downloaded into an excel file.
The database is best viewed on a computer. While a separate mobile version is available to support viewing on a handheld device, the functionality is more limited. A larger version of the database can also be viewed by clicking on ‘View Larger Version’ on the lower right side of the database itself.
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The database
Acronyms & Definitions- English
| Jurisdiction | Full Name |
| AVRCE | Annapolis Valley Regional Centre for Education |
| CCRCE | Chignecto Central Regional Centre for Education |
| CB-VRCE | Cape Breton-Victoria Regional Centre for Education |
| HRCE | Halifax Regional Centre for Education |
| SRCE | Strait Regional Centre for Education |
| SSRCE | South Shore Regional Centre for Education |
| TCRCE | Tri-County Regional Centre for Education |
| Csap | Conseil scolaire acadien provincial |
| Government Department | Full Name |
| DEECD | Department of Education and Early Childhood Development |
| DHW | Department of Health and Wellness |
| NSH | Nova Scotia Health |
| CCH | Communities, Culture and Heritage |
| Category | Definition |
| Provincial Act | A bill that has passed through legislative steps and has become law |
| Formal Policy | Written codes, regulations or decisions bearing legal authority and/or that are explicitly stated to be an adopted policy by the institution |
| Written Standards | Departmental/District guidelines, professional practice |
| Program | Activities from policies with specific objectives |
| Strategy | A plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal |
| HPS Pillars | Definition |
| Social and Physical Environment | The social environment is: • The quality of the relationships among and between staff and students in the school. • The emotional well-being of students. • Influenced by relationships with families and the wider community. The physical environment includes: • The buildings, grounds, play space, and equipment in and surrounding the school. |
| Teaching and Learning | Resources, activities and provincial/territorial curriculum where students gain age-appropriate knowledge and experiences, helping to build the skills to improve their health and wellbeing. |
| Healthy School Policy | Management practices, decision-making processes, rules, procedures and policies at all levels that promote health and wellbeing, and that shape a respectful, welcoming and caring school environment. |
| Partnerships and Services | Partnerships are: • The connections between the school and students’ families. • Supportive working relationships within schools (staff and students), between schools, and between schools and other community organizations and representative groups. • Health, education and other sectors working together to advance school health. Services are: • Community and school-based services that support and promote student and staff health and wellbeing. |
Acronymes et définitions en français
| Catégorie | Définitions |
| Loi provinciale | Une loi qui a passé à travers les diverses étapes législatives et qui est entrée en vigueur |
| Politique formelle | Les codes, règlements et décisions écrites qui portent l’autorité légale et/ou qui sont explicitement déclaré comme une politique adoptée par l'institution |
| Standards écrits | Les directives départementales ou de district, les pratiques professionnelles |
| Programme | Activités des politiques du niveau de la province ou du conseil scolaire avec des objectifs spécifiques |
| Stratégie | Un plan d’action conçu pour atteindre un but particulier |
| Piliers d’Écoles-santé | Définitions |
| L’environnement social et physique | L’environnement social est : • La qualité des relations entre et au sein du personnel et des élèves dans l’école. • Le bien-être émotionnel des élèves. • Influencé par les relations avec les familles et la communauté en général. L’environnement physique inclut : • Les bâtiments, terrains, espaces de jeu, et équipement à l’intérieur et autour de l’école. |
| Enseigner et apprendre | Les ressources, activités et curriculum provinciaux/territoriaux dans lequel les élèves acquièrent des connaissances et des expériences adaptés à leur âge, leur aidant à développer les capacités pour améliorer leur santé et bien-être. |
| Politique Écoles- santé | Les pratiques de gestion, les processus de prise de décision, les règlements, les procédures et les politiques à tous les niveaux qui favorisent la santé et le bien-être, et qui mènent à un environnement scolaire respectueux, accueillant et chaleureux. |
| Partenariats et services | Les partenariats sont : •Les liens entre les écoles et les familles des élèves. •Des relations de travail coopératives au sein des écoles (personnel et élèves), entre écoles, et entre les écoles et autres organisations communautaires et groupes représentatifs • Les secteurs de santé, d’éducation et autres qui travaillent ensemble pour faire progresser la santé dans les écoles. Les services sont : • Les services à base scolaire ou communautaire qui appuient et promeuvent la santé et le bien-être des élèves et du personnel. |