Alphonsine Saulnier is a family woman (a proud grand-mère), community activist, social work volunteer, educator, and valued NSASW volunteer.
Alphonsine Yvonne Saulnier, MSW RSW is a remarkable social worker. Her contributions to the community in which she lives and to the social work profession can inspire us all.
As a young woman, she joined a religious order and studied nursing at Université de Moncton. She worked in public health in South West Nova, a rural area populated largely by Acadian communities. She subsequently went to Dalhousie University and received her MSW.
A proud and active Acadienne and Francophone, Alphonsine was president of Réseau Santé de la Nouvelle-Écosse for a number of years. In this role she lobbied successfully for health, post-secondary education and other needed services to be accessible to the local French speaking residents. In the 1980s, she was a founding member of Collège de l’Acadie, a community college system that provided technical and professional programmes throughout Nova Scotia. The Collège merged with Université Sainte-Anne, and Alphonsine became Chair of the Department of Health Professions of which the Social Work Programme is a part.
After her retirement, she continued to mentor students and social worker candidates, offering them supervision and guidance as they entered our profession.
Alphonsine has given a great deal to the NSASW. She has served on the Board of Examiners, volunteered to be the Board representative on NSASW’s Professional Development committee and participated on a number of Board sub-committees, such as Entry to Practice, Discipline, Ethics and Complaints.
As a result of her position on the Board, Alphonsine encouraged the Association to develop an ethics workshop. At first, the workshop targeted new graduates, but over time it became clear that all registrants would benefit from participation. She worked with other Board volunteers to develop the workshops. She made sure that the didactic content and case studies addressed the issue of public protection. Participants learn what it means to be ethical and competent in their practice. She was part of the team that piloted the workshop in rural and urban settings. Eventually, the workshops were offered in both French and English, given that an increasing number of NSASW’s registrants are Francophone.
Alphonsine embodies social work. Her commitment to the profession and the Association certainly embodies the essence of the Distinguished Service Award.