Wood’s Homes

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Wood’s Homes Research
Diversity
The population of Calgary in 2012 stood at 1,120,225 – an increase of 29,289 over 2011. Two-thirds of
the population growth was from immigration, a trend reversal from two years prior when births
made up the majority of the increase.*
18.3% of Calgarians are youth ages 14 and over (the national rate is 16.7%).
In 2011, Calgary placed fourth in Canada for the number of temporary foreign workers (8,675) and
permanent residents (15,060) moving to our city.
Wood’s Homes, like Calgary, embraces diversity as a community asset. We work with a number of clients
who honour different cultures and we pride ourselves in providing cultural-diversity training. We celebrate
it in many ways in our programs and services.
* The Calgary Foundation/Calgary Vital Signs 2012
27.9%
(n=3,202)
of clients were part of
an ethnic minority*:
*Only includes clients with a
reported ethnicity (n=11,470)
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History of our Research Department
Wood’s Homes began the formal development of a Research Department in 1989 by creating a
Research Committee staffed with senior leaders interested in research related to children’s
mental health.
In 2000, efforts were made to start the department
with the support of the Wood’s Homes Board of
Directors and minimal budget.
It joined forces with Alberta Family and Children’s
Services, and Alberta Mental Health (at that time)
as these two organizations were exploring more
systematic methods of outcomes evaluation, and
also instituting performance-based funding.
Today the department is funded as a part of each
programs’ operational budget, and has received
several significant grants for outcome measurement
activities over the past number of years. The work of
the department is guided by our Research Advisory
Committee - a subcommittee of our Board Quality
Improvement Committee.
Beginning with just one researcher, the department
today employs four full-time staff with a formal
arrangement with the University of Calgary
Department of Social Work to share one employee.
The goal of our Research Department is to build the knowledge necessary to improve mental health
treatment outcomes in children, youth and their families. There is much to be gained from the
integration of research with practice. Finding out what works for at-risk children and how to make
what works even better is a challenge that Wood’s Homes has embraced since the inception of this
invaluable part of our organization.
7.7%
(n=879)
of clients
were Aboriginal*:
*Only includes clients with a
reported ethnicity (n=11,470)
“The little research department that could!”
– Ann Lawson, the first manager of Research, 2000.
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