Identity area
Type of entity
Authorized form of name
Saskatchewan. Dept. of Northern Saskatchewan. Social Services Branch
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
History
In the months following the establishment of the Department of Northern Saskatchewan (D.N.S.) in May 1972, responsibility for social services programs to the province's Northern Administration District was transferred from the Department of Social Services. A Social Services Division was organized under the Operations Branch of the D.N.S. during the 1972-1973 fiscal year. Regional offices were established at Uranium City, La Ronge, Buffalo Narrows and Creighton, and a temporary office was located at Meadow Lake. Program delivery in the areas of public assistance, child welfare and probation commenced. For the 1973-1974 fiscal year, a Social Services Division existed as part of the Health and Social Development Branch. Despite the change in organizational structure, there was no alteration to the programs and services offered. A permanent regional office at Green Lake replaced the temporary location at Meadow Lake.
By the 1974-1975 fiscal year, a Social Services Branch was established. For the duration of its existence, the branch focused on the program areas of public assistance; child and family welfare; corrections; community services. Programs and services continued to be delivered through the network of regional offices, which included a sixth office at La Loche by 1975.
Public assistance was offered through the Saskatchewan Assistance Plan and Old Age Social Security Assistance. Child and family welfare services included: child protection; foster homes and child care centres; adoption services; day care centres; assistance to unmarried mothers; and administration of putative father cases. Community recreation centres were established in 1974. Additional community services introduced by the branch included: the Services to the Elderly Program (by 1980 known as the Northern Home Care Program); the Employment Support Program; and rehabilitation programs for residents with alcohol dependency. Corrections initiatives included: probation supervision and programs; the supervision of parolees from federal institutions living in the north; a probation hostel located at Potato Lake; and community corrections centres at Besnard Lake and Buffalo Narrows which opened in 1981 and 1982, respectively.
The Social Services Branch existed until 1982, when responsibility for social services was transferred back to the Department of Social Services. The Department of Northern Saskatchewan was disestablished in 1984.