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Established in 1979, the Community and Personal Services Division of the Department of Social Services provided services and programs to strengthen and support individual and family life in Saskatchewan. The division was organized into three branches: Core Services Branch; Home Care and Senior Citizens Branch; and Family and Community Services Branch.

The Core Services Branch was responsible for providing services to mentally challenged persons and for supporting the non-governmental organizations that offered complementary services. Community residential programs such as approved homes, group homes, training homes and semi-independent living settings offered care with an aim of clients functioning as independently as possible. The Community Resource Home and Outreach Program provided respite services to clients' families. The Valley View Centre in Moose Jaw and the North Park Centre in Prince Albert provided residential facilities for long-term care and programming. As well, the branch was responsible for the administration of activity centres and sheltered workshops throughout the province.

The Home Care and Senior Citizens Branch was organized into two sections: Senior Citizens and Home Care. The Senior Citizens Section was responsible for the planning and development of special-care homes, for the provision of subsidies to all residents of special-care homes, and for the licensing of low-income housing units for seniors. The section also established a Regulations Review Committee to review regulations pursuant to The Housing and Special-care Homes Act. The Home Care Section was responsible for the organization of district home care boards that provided home care service. Services delivered by the boards included nursing, homemaking, meals, home maintenance, and physical and occupational therapy. The section also coordinated with non-governmental agencies and senior care centres to provide services and to promote independence in seniors.

The Family and Community Services Branch was organized into three sections: Family and Youth Services Section; Day Care Section; and Community Services Section. The Family and Youth Services Section operated under the authority of The Family Services Act, The Unified Family Court Act, The Children of Unmarried Parents Act, and the federal Juvenile Delinquents Act. The section provided protection for children from families struggling to care for them in the form of counselling and foster care. Adoption services were provided through ward agreements and through the REACH (Resources for the Adoption of Children) program. Four child care facilities (Saskatchewan Boys' Centre, Roy Wilson Centre, Dales House, Kilburn Hall) along with several non-governmental agencies provided care for troubled youth. As well, the section provided juvenile offender services. The Day Care Section administered grants and monitored the standards of a variety of day care services throughout the province. The section encouraged involvement of parents in decision-making on the provision of services, and promoted public awareness about day care services. The Community Services Section administered grants and monitored the standards, financial operations and licenses of non-governmental social services organizations.

As a result of re-organization in 1980, child and youth services became the responsibility of the department's Regional Services Division, and seniors and home care services became the responsibility of the Continuing Care Division. All core services, day care and community services remained the responsibility of the Community and Personal Services Division.

The Corrections Division of the Department of Social Services was established on October 1, 1972 as part of a departmental reorganization. Creation of the division stemmed from the recommendations of the 1971 Saskatchewan Corrections Study Committee that all correctional services be integrated into one organizational unit. Personnel responsible for the division included a director of corrections, a chief probation officer, a director of community corrections and an institutional planner. The director of corrections reported to the department's deputy minister.

The key functional areas of the division were correctional centres, probation programs and community corrections programs. At its establishment, the division was responsible for the administration of correctional centres at Regina (which housed male offenders from southern Saskatchewan), at Prince Albert (those from northern Saskatchewan) and at the Pine Grove Centre in Prince Albert (female offenders from all of Saskatchewan). The department's Northern Regional Office also administered small correctional facilities at Buffalo Narrows, Creighton and Besnard Lake for low to medium-risk offenders residing in the far north of the province. A new provincial correctional centre opened in Saskatoon in 1981, as did a replacement facility for men in Prince Albert. A community correctional centre was established in North Battleford in 1980.

Typically, offenders housed at these correctional facilities were serving: sentences of less than two years; were remanded while awaiting trial or sentencing; or were sentenced to federal penitentiaries but were awaiting decision from the Court of Appeal. The larger correctional centres at Regina, Prince Albert and Saskatoon were organized into three function-based areas: custody; treatment; and support services (laundry, kitchen, clerical, etc.). Treatment and rehabilitation programs offered to offenders while in custody included: work camps; vocational and academic training; group activities and recreation; medical and dental services; counselling; family therapy; and allowances for temporary absences. Parole services were coordinated by the institutions in cooperation with the National Parole Board.

Probation programs and services were delivered primarily by probation officers staffed at regional offices throughout the province. The two key functions of probation officers were to prepare pre-sentence reports and to supervise offenders on probation. The preparation of pre-sentence reports involved investigation into the circumstances leading to the offence, assessment of the offender to determine a personality profile, and establishment of a rehabilitation program for the offender. This program was then monitored as part of the supervision of the offender during the period of probation.

Various probation programs and services were established by the division, including: the Indian Probation Office Program (1975); Volunteers in Probation (1976); probation hostels (1980); attendance centres (1980); and the Impaired Driver's Treatment Program (1980). These programs were aimed at diversifying the opportunities for offenders on probation to rehabilitate, thus avoiding further offences.

Community corrections offered programs and services that protected society while providing rehabilitation opportunities to offenders, often outside the confines of a correctional facility. The Community Training Residence program offered residence and rehabilitation opportunities for low-risk offenders through employment, academic and vocational training, counselling, and addictions treatment from a variety of community resources. The Fine Option Program was established in 1975 as a means for offenders to work off fines through volunteer service at community agencies rather than face incarceration for non-payment of fines. The Bail Verification and Supervision Program, introduced in 1982, assisted courts in determining which offenders could be released under surety or supervision while awaiting trial. Also introduced in 1982, the Restitution Program provided an alternative measure for property crime offenders to reimburse their victims the monetary value of the damage or loss from their crime rather than being incarcerated.

The Corrections Division of the Department of Social Services was discontinued on April 30, 1983 upon the establishment of the Department of Justice. Responsibilities of the division were transferred to the Corrections Division of the new department.

Established in 1978, the Family and Community Services Branch of the Department of Social Services was responsible for the delivery of a variety of programs under authority of the following acts: The Family Services Act, 1973; The Unified Family Court Act; The Children of Unmarried Parents Act, 1973; and the federal Juvenile Delinquents Act. Programs and services of the division were delivered through a decentralized network of regional offices throughout the province. The Branch was also responsible for the administration of grants and licensing to residential centres, group homes and day cares through its Community Services and Day Care Divisions.

Child protection services addressed reports of child abuse or neglect in homes and were administered through the Child Protection Registry. Foster care was provided in situations of temporary or permanent removal of children from their families. Adoption services provided counselling and facilitated planning for the placement of children relinquished for adoption. Adoptions were administered through ward and non-ward agreements, and through the REACH program (Resources for the Adoption of Children) which found placements in homes for children with special needs. Services to unmarried mothers included financial assistance, health care, maternity home care, counselling and training. Cases of juvenile offenders were administered in accordance with the federal Juvenile Delinquents Act. Institutional care for troubled youth was provided at four child care facilities (Saskatchewan Boys' School/Centre, Roy Wilson Centre, Dales House and Kilburn Hall) and at various private institutions throughout the province.

As a result of departmental re-organization in 1979, the Family and Community Services Branch became the responsibility of the department's Community and Personal Services Division.

The Family and Youth Services Division of the Department of Social Services was established in 1992 through an amalgamation of services and responsibilities of two previous divisions: one for children and families and another for young offenders. In doing so, the goal of the department was to provide a more effective level of services to children, youth and families than in the previous organizational structure. Programs and services offered by the division were delivered by staff in twenty-five communities throughout Saskatchewan, from nine government-operated facilities, and by non-governmental agencies.

Activities of the division were focused around four key areas: Child Protection and Family Support Services; Alternative and Foster Care; Adoption; and Young Offender Services. Child Protection and Family Support Services addressed reports of child abuse or neglect in homes. In-house support provided by workers and non-governmental agencies included parenting education, life skills training, emergency babysitting, counselling and support, emergency crisis intervention, and work with local police and justice to address cases of abuse and/or sexual assault.

Alternative and Foster care was provided in situations of temporary or permanent removal of children from their families. The four types of foster care offered were: emergency; short-term; long-term and therapeutic. Children were also placed with extended family, in group homes or in short-term residential facilities. Stabilization, assessment and treatment services were provided, along with training and support to those offering foster care in their homes.

Adoption services provided counselling and facilitated planning for the placement of children relinquished for adoption. Adoptions were categorized as Crown ward (those in the care of Social Services) or non-ward (adoptions by step-parents, independent adoptions, international adoptions or adoptions via an agency.) Post-adoption services provided included the provision to adoption clients of background information on their birth parents, and the conducting of searches for birth families.

Young Offender Services administered the client files of youth, aged 12 to 17, who were in the justice system in accordance with the federal Young Offenders Act (Canada). Services were provided under a youth model of justice which recognized the differences in developmental level between youth and adult offenders. Services offered were consistent with the Act, and included Alternative Measures (non-judicial mediation), Community Options (judicial interim release, community homes, community service orders, personal service orders, fines, compensation, and probation), and custody options (remand, open custody and closed custody.) Young offender services were transferred to the Department of Corrections and Safety on March 26, 2002.

The Department of Social Services was discontinued on March 31, 2003. All services and programs except young offender services were continued under the Department of Community Resources and Employment.

Established in 1988, the Family Services Division of the Department of Social Services provided child, family and youth social services by authority of The Family Services Act. Programs and services were delivered through a network of twenty-three regional offices throughout the province. The division also oversaw provisions of service by non-governmental organizations that supplemented or complemented services provided by the department. The division reported to the Assistant Deputy Minister of the department.

Family services included child protection, teen parent and unmarried mother services, adoption, foster care, and family violence services. Child protection services investigated into all reports of child abuse or neglect. Subsequent measures included counselling, referral and supportive services or the removal of a child from the home. Teen parent and unmarried mother services provided information, referrals, counselling, and pre-natal and post-natal support services, as well as services for single mothers seeking to place children for adoption. Adoption services were responsible for the recruitment, screening, preparation and selection of adoptive families for children in need of placement, as well as facilitating private, step-parent, and international adoptions. The foster home program provided substitute family environments for children in need of temporary or permanent placement. Responsibility for children in foster care was shared between the department and the foster parents in the program. Family violence services were provided by departmental staff and by non-governmental organizations and included crisis accommodation, crisis intervention, counselling and family support.

Responsibilities of the Family Services Division, along with those of the Young Offenders Division, were amalgamated in 1992 to form the Family and Youth Services Division of the Department of Social Services.

Established in 1983, the Family Support Division of the Department of Social Services provided child, family and youth social services by authority of The Family Services Act and Regulations and the federal Juvenile Delinquents Act. (after April 1984, the Young Offenders Act). Programs and services were delivered through a network of twenty-four service delivery units throughout the province. The division also oversaw provisions of service by non-governmental organizations that supplemented or complemented services provided by the department. The division reported to the Assistant Deputy Minister of the department, and was organized into two sections: Child and Family Services and Youth Services.

Child and Family Services included child protection, single parent services, adoption and foster care. Child protection services investigated into all reports of child abuse or neglect. Subsequent measures included counselling, referral and supportive services or the removal of a child from the home. Single parent services provided information, referrals, counselling, and pre-natal and post-natal support services, as well as services for single mothers seeking to place children for adoption. In addition, services were expanded to focus on teen parents. Adoption services were responsible for the recruitment, screening, preparation and selection of adoptive families for children in need of placement, as well as facilitating private and step-parent adoptions. In addition, the REACH (Resources for the Adoption of Children) program coordinated adoptions for children with special needs and circumstances. The Foster Home Program provided substitute family environments for children in need of temporary or permanent placement. Responsibility for children in foster care was shared between the department and the foster parents in the program.

Youth Services included young offenders services and residential services. Young offenders services administered cases of juvenile offenders in the justice system. Services offered were consistent with the Act, and included Alternative Measures (non-judicial mediation), Community Options (judicial interim release, community homes, day programs, community service orders, personal service orders, fines, compensation, and probation), and Custody Options (remand, open custody and secure custody.) Residential services were provided from four child care facilities: Saskatchewan Boys' Centre (renamed Paul Dojack Centre in 1985), Roy Wilson Centre, Dales House and Kilburn Hall, from purchased residential care from three non-governmental organizations and from government-funded group homes and receiving homes throughout the province.

As a result of a departmental re-organization in 1985, child and family services renamed the responsibility of the Family Support Division, while a separate division was created for young offender services. A subsequent re-organization in 1988 had responsibilities of the Family Support Division transferred to the Family Services Division.

Established in 1978, the Income Security Branch of the Department of Social Services was responsible for the delivery of programs under authority of The Saskatchewan Assistance Act. Income support was administered through the Saskatchewan Assistance Plan (SAP), the province's basic income support program. Funding for the program was shared with the federal government under its Canada Assistance Plan. In addition to income support, the SAP offered welfare services such as counselling, rehabilitation and preventative services to clients in need. The branch also administered two supplemental programs: the Family Income Plan for low-income families with children under the age of 18; and the Saskatchewan Income Plan for residents 65 and older whose incomes were limited to the federal Old Age Security and Guaranteed Income Supplement. As well, local appeal boards comprised of departmental staff and local citizens addressed grievances raised by clients about their applications for assistance under the SAP. Decisions of a local appeal board could be further appealed to the Provincial Social Services Appeal Board.

As a result of departmental re-organization in 1979, the Income Security Branch became the responsibility of the department's Income Support and Employment Services Division.

Established in 1979, the Income Support and Employment Services Division of the Department of Social Services was responsible for the delivery of income security and employment programs under authority of The Saskatchewan Assistance Act and The Rehabilitation Act. The division was organized into two branches: Income Security; and Employment Programs.

Income support was administered by the Income Security Branch through the Saskatchewan Assistance Plan (SAP), the province's basic income support program. Funding for the program was shared with the federal government under its Canada Assistance Plan. In addition to income support, the SAP offered welfare services such as counselling, rehabilitation and preventative services to clients in need. The branch also administered two supplemental programs: the Family Income Plan for low-income families with children under the age of 18; and the Saskatchewan Income Plan for residents 65 and older whose incomes were limited to the federal Old Age Security and Guaranteed Income Supplement. Service delivery for the Income Family Plan and the Saskatchewan Income Plan was done centrally, while the Saskatchewan Assistance Plan was administered through a network of regional offices throughout the province. A verification section within the branch ensured that funds from the Saskatchewan Assistance Plan and the Family Income Plan were administered in accordance with the legislation, regulations and policies of the department.

Programs and services administered by the Employment Programs Branch included: the Employment Support Program; the Special Agricultural and Rural Development Agreement; the Vocational Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons' Agreement; as well as funding assistance to work preparation centres at Regina and Prince Albert. The Employment Centre Program provided grants to groups sponsoring employment opportunities to individuals receiving income support. The Special Agricultural and Rural Development Agreement provided funding for First Nations individuals to develop, finance and operate projects aimed at creating employment opportunities in rural Saskatchewan. The Vocational Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons' Agreement, co-funded by the federal and provincial governments, offered assessment, counselling, vocational training and employment placement for eligible individuals. Two work preparation centres assisted residents in finding and maintaining employment as an alternative to receiving income support.

As a result of re-organization in 1980, delivery of the Saskatchewan Assistance Plan became the responsibility of the department's Regional Services Division while program administration remained the responsibility of the Income Support Division.

Established in 1980, the Regional Services Division of the Department of Social Services delivered services under the authority of The Saskatchewan Assistance Act and Regulations, The Family Services Act, The Unified Family Court Act and the federal Juvenile Delinquents Act. Services and programs were administered from eight regions with district offices located in major centres within the regions. Services provided by the division included income support, child protection, unmarried parents' services, adoption, foster care, young offenders' services, special youth resources and emergency social services.

Income support services determined the eligibility of recipients for financial assistance and administered the Saskatchewan Assistance Plan. The Child Protection Program was responsible for the investigation into all reports of child abuse or neglect. Subsequent measures included counselling, referral and supportive services or the removal of a child from the home. Unmarried parents' services provided information, referrals, counselling, and pre-natal and post-natal support services to unmarried parents. Additionally, services were provided to unmarried mothers seeking to place children for adoption. Adoption services were responsible for the recruitment, screening, preparation and selection of adoptive families for children in need of placement, as well as facilitating private and step-parent adoptions. In addition, the REACH (Resources for the Adoption of Children) program coordinated adoptions for children with special needs and circumstances. The Foster Home Program provided substitute family environments for children in need of temporary or permanent placement. Responsibility for children in foster care was shared between the department and the foster parents in the program. Young offenders' services administered cases of juvenile offenders in the justice system. Departmental, community and residential services included counselling, legal assistance, psychological and psychiatric assessments, predisposition investigations, probation services and detention services. The division operated four child care facilities (Saskatchewan Boys' Centre, Roy Wilson Centre, Dales House and Kilburn Hall), purchased residential care from three non-governmental organizations and funded various group homes and receiving homes throughout the province. Emergency social services provided food, clothing, lodging and personal services in the event of large-scale disasters.

As a result of re-organization in 1983, income support became the responsibility of the department's Income Security Division, while all other programs became the responsibility of the Family Support Division.

Originally established in 1972 as the Regional Services Division, the Social Services Division of the Department of Social Services was responsible for the delivery of a variety of programs under authority of the following acts: The Family Services Act, 1973; The Saskatchewan Assistance Act and Regulations; The Children of Unmarried Parents Act, 1973; The Rehabilitation Act; and the federal Juvenile Delinquents Act. Programs and services of the division were delivered through a decentralized network of regional offices throughout the province.

Programs administered by the division centered on child care and welfare, employment readiness, and income support.

Child protection services addressed reports of child abuse or neglect in homes. To aid in the delivery of service, a Child Protection Registry was established in 1977. Foster care was provided in situations of temporary or permanent removal of children from their families. The Special Foster Care Program offered care for children unable to benefit from traditional or institutional placements. Adoption services provided counselling and facilitated planning for the placement of children relinquished for adoption. Adoptions were administered through ward and non-ward agreements, and through programs such as the Aim Centre and REACH (Resources for the Adoption of Children) which found placements in homes for children with special needs. Services to unmarried mothers included financial assistance, health care, maternity home care, counselling and training. Cases of juvenile offenders were administered in accordance with the federal Juvenile Delinquents Act. Institutional care for troubled youth was provided at four child care facilities (Saskatchewan Boys' School/Centre, Roy Wilson Centre, Dales House and Kilburn Hall) and at various private institutions throughout the province.

Employment readiness was offered through initiatives such as the Work Activity Program, the Employment Support Program, the Summer Employment Project, the Winter Works Incentive Program, and Work Preparation Centres. These programs frequently operated in co-operation with other government departments. The aim of the programs was to provide skills training and employment opportunities for socially or economically disadvantaged citizens.

Income support was administered through the Saskatchewan Assistance Plan and other assistance programs to citizens with financial need or disability. In addition to income support, the Saskatchewan Assistance Plan offered welfare services such as counselling, rehabilitation and preventative services to clients in need. As well, Local Appeal Boards comprised of departmental staff and local citizens addressed grievances raised by clients about their applications for assistance.

The division also provided corrections services (1972 only), adult probation services (until 1976), and emergency welfare services.

The Social Services Division was renamed the Social Services Branch in 1976, and was in existence until a departmental re-organization in 1978. Responsibilities for child, youth and family services were transferred to the Family and Community Services Branch, employment programs were administered by the Employment Programs Branch, and income support programs became the responsibility of the Income Security Branch.