Where Education Meets Care

CAPE bridges the gap between learning and healthcare excellence. By crafting programs that inspire, inform, and empower health workers and caregivers, we create a collaborative space where skills grow and care thrives.

A personal support worker provides assistance to an elderly woman.

Our innovative Trainer Hub serves as a central resource to scale and spread these programs, fostering a culture of learning and growth for caregivers throughout the province. By equipping this crucial health workforce with the skills and confidence to excel, we help ensure that Ontarians receive the compassionate, high-quality care they deserve.

CAPE is more than education—it’s a movement to empower care providers and strengthen our healthcare system for a better tomorrow.

At CAPE, we believe that exceptional care begins with exceptional education. Our purpose is to provide accessible, evidence-informed, and effective education programs that prioritize the learning and development needs of unregulated care providers.

From Personal Support Workers (PSWs) and Community Health Workers (CHWs) to others engaged in care work, these vital professionals form the backbone of Ontario’s healthcare system. CAPE is committed to their success by offering modular and flexible training programs that meet their unique needs across diverse sectors, including homecare, community, and long-term care.

A healthcare worker smiles while her colleagues collaborate in the background.

A few numbers that we are proud of

500+

Successful Graduates!

Our Virtual Home-Based Homecare Curriculum has helped over 500 learners excel in their roles, with many more to come!

10,000+

Connections Made!

Join thousands of care providers who’ve visited our website and LMS platform to unlock cutting-edge learning resources.

15,000+

Learners in a Thriving Network!

From PSWs to health professions students, our growing community is united in a shared mission to deliver exceptional care across Ontario.

The CAPE Story

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Since 2015, Collaborative Advocacy & Partnered Education (CAPE) has been collaboratively creating evidence-informed interprofessional education that centres PSW expertise. CAPE was founded through the visionary work of education scientists Dr. Nicole Woods and Dr. Stella Ng, alongside a large team of collaborators and partners.

It all began with the CACE Homecare Curriculum (now renamed the Fundamentals of Care for Older Adults with the "3Ds" Curriculum), a free, online, interactive, and interprofessional curriculum designed with and for home care providers, featuring real Personal Support Workers (PSWs). From these beginnings, CAPE has continued to partner with PSWs in advocacy and the creation of numerous education ventures.

Today, CAPE leverages this suite of offerings to advocate for inclusive and equitable healthcare environments through evidence-informed education. Our work and curriculum design are grounded in three foundational concepts: critical reflection, co-creation, and cognitive integration.

Foundational Concepts of our Education Approach

Critical Reflection

Critical reflection means taking a closer look at the assumptions we hold—both as individuals and as a society—and how these shape the way we work. It also means thinking about how systems of power influence what we do. Our assumptions and power dynamics can shape practices in ways that are sometimes helpful, but also sometimes ineffective or harmful.

When we reflect critically, we try to notice when certain practices or routines are based on assumptions that could be causing harm. Then, we work to question and improve those practices. The goal is to connect our thinking with action in a way that leads to positive change for the people we support.

Personal support workers and other health workers can use critical reflection to notice when routines, tools, or expectations don’t support the people they care for—and to speak up, adapt, or act in ways that help create more respectful and fair care.

Two healthcare workers are having a conversation.
A group of different ages and backgrounds work collaboratively.

Co-creation

Co-creation is all about innovation and collaboration! It happens when people with different ideas and experiences come together to create something great. It is based on the belief that care can be better when we work together. Rather than relying solely on the ideas of a few individuals, co-creation unleashes the power of the group when working together to generate meaningful solutions to really difficult problems.  

When we co-create, we really listen to everyone’s ideas to make sure all voices are heard and valued. When we listen, especially without judging others, we enable all team members to bring their best ideas on which the group can build to find the best solutions. This builds trust and collegiality within the group and can lead to more effective and impactful solutions to care. 

In healthcare education, co-creation results in courses and programs that are fair, inclusive, and useful for all. In healthcare practice, co-creation can provide better solutions to care. For instance, when supporting an elderly person to remain in their home for end-of-life care, co-creating meaningful ways to support that person in solidarity with other health professionals, the family, and the person themselves can result in solutions that are meaningful for everyone.

Cognitive Integration

Cognitive integration is about mentally connecting different types of knowledge relevant to our work. It’s not just about remembering the steps of a task. It’s about understanding why those steps matter, so we can make informed decisions and adapt our care in different situations.

When we are cognitively integrating our knowledge, we’re linking what we do with why we do it. This can help us to do our work. For example, when supporting a client with diabetes, cognitive integration helps us understand how to check their feet and why—to catch early signs of infection or poor circulation and prevent serious complications.

Our learning environment can support cognitive integration by providing us space to ask questions and learn both the how and the why to make better decisions and provide safer and more supportive care. For instance, when supporting someone with dementia, knowing how the brain is affected can enhance our communication and interaction by providing a more calm and kind response when our client is confused or upset.

A Personal Support Worker provides assistance to an elderly man.