At Ranch Ehrlo, we are continuously searching for ways to improve.

Our Quality Improvement team is always looking at participant experience through surveys and statistics related to the effectiveness of our programs. This year, with the implementation of Children And Residential Experience (CARE), we have added a new layer of accountability.

In the fall of 2019, each of our programs set new goals, based on finding practical ways to implement the six CARE principles (family involved, developmentally focused, relationship based, trauma informed, ecologically orientated, and competence centred) in their areas.

Recently, teams reviewed their plans and evaluated their progress to date. They indicated if their target was fully or partially reached, or if the goal was not yet met, and we compiled statistics from that data to look at what areas we are excelling in and what areas can be improved going forward.

Overall, progress is on track. Ninety-four per cent of goals were rated as completed or partially completed. Rating goals as partially completed happened for a variety of reasons. For example, many of the family-involvement based goals are not yet met due to COVID-19 related restrictions, while goals related to developmentally focused, trauma informed, and competence-centred are rated as not-yet completed because they are ongoing.

What does a CARE goal look like?
There are many examples of successes of each of the CARE principles being put into practice, from having the space decorated with artwork created by the youth (ecologically oriented) to staff attending additional training (trauma-informed), to involving the youth in their own activity planning, thus creating greater engagement (developmentally focused, competence centered). Our staff are continually working on their relationships with youth and, especially at this time, are looking for unique ways for our youth to remain connected to their families.

The implementation of CARE will never be complete, as it is an ongoing quality improvement process that evolves with the fluid nature of residential treatment.  The planning process initiated in 2019 is the beginning of a continual process, where goals are set, adjusted, achieved, and celebrated while moving through the next stage of the planning cycle.

To view the entire CARE Quality Improvement report, click here.