{"id":229,"date":"2020-07-29T10:05:47","date_gmt":"2020-07-29T14:05:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/socialwork\/?post_type=cu_people&p=229"},"modified":"2026-03-05T10:37:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T15:37:00","slug":"ron-ensom","status":"publish","type":"cu_people","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/socialwork\/people\/ron-ensom\/","title":{"rendered":"Ron Ensom"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Child Protection Consultant<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Master of Social Work (\u201972)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the coordinator of the child protection program at the Children\u2019s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) in Ottawa, Ron Ensom would hear the ORNGE helicopter fly over his house and then the phone would often ring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt would be someone at the hospital, needing to talk about a newly arrived possible child protection case,\u201d recalls Mr. Ensom, in describing the 24\/7 nature of the work. \u201cSometimes, I\u2019d get an urgent call to respond to an incident in the hallway of the hospital itself. Worries about a child\u2019s safety can happen anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr. Ensom\u2019s lifelong concern for children began when he was a teen\u00adager, working at Christie Lake Kids Camp, a summer camp for econom\u00adically disadvantaged kids. For 48 years, the camp was led by the internationally respected child psychiatrist Dr. Dan Offord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI grew up at camp with Dan, and embraced his view of what life did to kids born into poverty and the injustice of it,\u201d Mr. Ensom explains. \u201cHe made us feel like we could make a difference in these kids\u2019 lives by being role models and teaching them skills.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He particularly remembers a boy named Louis, who had attitude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was early morning and I heard a noise on the waterfront, leapt out of bed, and saw a tough-looking little guy all by himself. I asked him his name. When he told me, I realized I was standing before a camp legend\u2014a boy from a family of 16 kids. I said, \u2018I\u2019ve heard about you!\u2019, and he pointedly asked who I was. He retorted, \u2018I never heard of you!\u2019\u201d laughs Mr. Ensom. \u201cWe became friends and spent a lot of time to\u00adgether over the years. He died recently, but I think I made a difference in his life. He definitely made a difference in mine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The camp experience convinced Mr. Ensom to pursue a career working with disadvantaged children. He earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in psychology and sociology and then a Master of Social Work. He says the coursework\u2014as well as his camp experience\u2014helped prepare him for the rigours of his first job at the Children\u2019s Aid Society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy years at Christie Lake exposed me to all kinds of child behaviours and problematic family situations, so I had no illusions about working with challenging kids,\u201d he recalls. \u201cI also had really good luck in that I had bright, progressive mentors who challenged and supported me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1983 Mr. Ensom was invited by CHEO to coordinate their child protection program. In 2004, he co-authored the Canadian Joint Statement on Physical Punishment of Children and Youth with child psychologist and researcher Dr. Joan Durrant. The statement, conclud\u00aded: \u201cPhysical punishment of children and youth plays no useful role in their upbringing and poses only risks to their development. \u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement shone the light of research on the controversial debate about hitting children for disciplinary purposes. The research findings informed and cooled the debate, which came as no surprise to Mr. Ensom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe debate about physical punishment of children has raged in Canada and around the world for years,\u201d says Mr. Ensom, who won a Queen Elizabeth II, Diamond Jubilee Medal, along with his co-author. \u201cThe research evidence summarized in the Joint Statement informed the debate and has been a powerful agent of attitudinal change among Canadian adults.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr. Ensom continues to share his knowledge with students at both of Ottawa\u2019s universities and Algonquin College. He helped design and launch Algonquin\u2019s victimology program\u2014the first in Canada. As someone aware of the high burnout rate among those in this field, he has some simple advice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI tell them that if they don\u2019t like kids, they shouldn\u2019t work with them. Kids know within three or four minutes if an adult actually likes them,\u201d he advises. \u201cThe other thing is to make sure to keep some kind of balance in your life and have personal support. This work is emotion\u00adally demanding stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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