Colette Scatliff

Hi! My name is Colette Scatliff (she/her). I am a law student at Robson Hall at the University of Manitoba in my final year of JD studies. I am also a former teacher and foster parent. These experiences inspired me to apply to law school to better understand how laws and government programs impact the wellbeing of children and women. I have been incredibly fortunate during my legal studies to learn from some incredible female legal minds in our province – Dr. Lorna Turnbull, Dr. Karen Busby, and Dr. Jennifer Schulz at Robson Hall, as well as Monique St. Germain at the Canadian Centre for Child Protection. These women have been instrumental in my learning, helping me to dig deeper into research that betters the lives of Canadian children.

Dr. Turnbull encouraged me to apply to join Spectrum in Spring 2021, and I am just so happy she did. Being a SPECTRUM Research Fellow has given me the opportunity to learn from and collaborate with so many powerhouse academics, research fellows, members of government, and community leaders who share the same commitment to bettering the lives of Manitoba children. This has been such an incredible chance to be a part of social change in action. In my time here with SPECTRUM, I have been part of several working groups, my favourite being the Demo 1 Project working group which is working on comparing outcomes for children who have been taken into CFS care versus children who have received supportive services through CFS within their own homes but have not been taken into CFS care. Being involved in the Data Analysis Planning for that project has allowed me to see this project move from a skeleton of an idea into something so much bigger – each week I witness this project evolve as we meet and discuss how it will be used to influence policy change in the spheres of academia and government programming and community services. I am so fortunate to learn from this group and I am so excited to see the positive change that will come from this for kids whose lives intersect with Child and Family Services.

Outside of my work at SPECTRUM, I also work for the legal department at the Canadian Centre for Child Protection. I am also a mom to two fabulously hilarious children and one very goofy golden retriever. We love to spend lots of time on the lake and in the forest. My morning coffee sustains me, and I am miserable if I don’t have a good book on the go at all times. I show my love to family and friends through copious amounts of baked goods.