Dr. Geoffrey Pawson
With profound sadness we announce the passing of Dr. Geoffrey Pawson on January 30, 2012. Husband to Barbara for 50 years; Father to Jane (David) Loblaw, Gord (Lori) Pawson, David Pawson, and Kate (Scott) Langen. He was an extremely proud Granddad to Rachel, Sydney and Chloe Langen and Demira and Darian Pawson. Brother to David (Doreen) Pawson and Lloyd (Angie) Pawson; brother-in-law to Roger & Vicki Hardage and Ann & Jim Stevens; and their families. Geoff is the founder of the Ranch Ehrlo Society and former Ehrlo Community Services. He was only 27 years of age when he opened the first group home with 6 youth. The agency has grown to currently serving 250 youth and families across Saskatchewan and Canada. There have been thousands of graduates of the program, many of whom continued to maintain contact. He received many honours throughout his career such as the Order of Canada in 2000, the Saskatchewan Order of Merit in 2001, the Family Service Canada Award in 2003, and an Honourary Doctorate of Law from the University of Regina in 2005. Geoff was an inspirational leader who had a tremendous impact at the local, provincial, national and international level for his unwavering commitment to youth. He had a gifted ability to create change, overcome obstacles, and challenge the status quo. He was a master problem-solver and visionary who was respected by his colleagues, employees, community, friends and family. Although Geoff will be profoundly missed, he has left a remarkable legacy. His mission and vision will live on at Ranch Ehrlo, as he laid a solid foundation to continue to improve upon meeting the needs and filling gaps for the most vulnerable members of our society. He truly left the world a better place. Donations can be made in Geoff's honor to the Dr. Geoffrey Pawson Education Scholarship. The purpose of this scholarship is to enable present and/or former residents of the Ranch Ehrlo Society and other deserving individuals to continue with Post-secondary and apprenticeship training. The focus is to improve the likelihood of long-term and continuous employment in the future of the recipients. A Memorial will be held on Friday February 17, 2012 at 7 pm at the Radisson Plaza Hotel Saskatchewan in the Grand Ballroom. An online book of condolences can be accessed at www.Ehrlo.com, as well as www.Facebook.com/RanchEhrlo. This is a wonderful way for the family to stay connected as they have yet to be able to return from Tucson AZ.
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Canadian Looking After Children Project (CanLAC)
The Canadian Looking After Children Project (CanLAC), based on the model developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1990s, attempts to improve the outcomes of children and youth in care by improving the quality of state parenting that they receive.
This is achieved by building partnerships between the caregiver(s), child welfare worker, child or youth in care, biological family members and other important people in the child's or youth's life.
The CanLAC project is endeavouring to bring some of the successes that the British model has achieved to the Canadian population of children and youth in care by building upon the work that has been done in this country and elsewhere over the past several years. Looking After Children (LAC) as it originated in the UK, relies on a developmental model in which a child's progress is examined in a holistic way by examining 7 dimensions on a yearly basis through the use of the core LAC tool, the Assessment and Action Record (AAR).
The seven developmental dimensions are:
- Health
- Education
- Identity
- Family and Social Relationships
- Social Presentation
- Emotional and Behavioural Development
- Self Care Skills
CanLAC is a strengths-based model that moves beyond harm reduction to maximizing well being; aiming for outcomes for children and youth in care that are similar to those of children and youth in the general population. At the core of CanLAC is an emphasis on promoting dialogue between the child/youth, caregiver, child welfare worker and other important partners in order to create a comprehensive and collaborative plan of care to guide and monitor the development of children and youth in care. Further, it allows for a systematic evaluation of child outcomes and interventions at an individual, organizational, and national level, through data aggregation. This allows for the development of national data regarding the experiences and outcomes of children and youth in care.
The core tool that the LAC model relies on is the Assessment and Action Record. This is a set of questions for a child/youth in care, a foster parent/caregiver, child welfare worker and other relevant people (i.e. birth parent, teacher, etc.) to complete, working together, to develop a clear picture of the child/youth's development. It highlights successes and progress as well as areas in which a child is struggling and could use additional support. It structures this dialogue to ensure that these areas of concern are dealt with systematically, with clear lines of accountability and clear timeframes (ie. who does what and when). It provides a yearly record of the child/youth's life experiences in care.
