ºìÐÓÊÓƵ

Anna Isabelle Allen or Ann Allen as she is known to friends and colleagues was born and raised in Victoria.  As “Bunty” McKay, she attended Victoria College at Craigdarroch Castle from 1943-1945 the forerunner of the University of Victoria and received a BA, BSW and a MSW from UBC. 

Ann had a long distinguished career in Social Work and Child Welfare in BC. During her professional career of some 30+ years, she was a Program Director/Consultant for the Child Welfare Divisions of the Child-in-Care Program from 1961-1968.  Previously, as a social worker in both Victoria and the Okanagan, this experience helped her recognize the need for clearly articulated policies/procedures plus inclusion of involved people-families, children, social workers plus related professionals in all aspects of program.

While at Child Welfare in Victoria, the headquarters for the provincial program, Ann was responsible to the Superintendent of Child Welfare to administer the province-wide program for some 10,000 wards and non-wards and the 3 Children Aid’s Societies.  This included establishing and maintaining recognized standards of care, ensuring social/legal/fiscal obligations met by individuals, groups, other government departments plus planning/implementing training for staff, foster parents, receiving /group home parents and children-in-care.

Ann Allen organized and co-chaired the first two Foster Parent Conferences in BC and the first Youth Conference to promote a 3-way dialogue between foster/group parents, adolescent children-in-care and social workers.  This led to the establishment of the provincial Foster Parent Association. She also developed the Group Home Program in BC developing policies and procedures for setting up group homes.  Of particular note: Ann Allen established the first receiving home on the Hazelton Reserve to encourage improved child-care when parents were unable to care for their children.  This was the first child care program to be developed on reserve in BC at Hazelton.

Other professional work included being the Director of Personnel Services ( now Human Resources- Labour Relations) for the then Ministry of Social Welfare which included the Child Welfare Division and later on the Mainland for those programs in two mainland psychiatric hospitals, Riverview and Valleyview, plus the Liquor Distribution Branch for the Province. 

Ann Allen devoted her working life as a provincial government employee and social worker to improving the Child Welfare Program in the province of British Columbia.