Building Community Connections & Capacity to Reduce Elopement & Wandering Safety Concerns for Families Who Have Children with Disabilities
Details
Southern Alberta
The Idea
The tragedy that occurred in Calgary with Parker Wells this past summer has raised public awareness about critical safety concerns for children with disabilities. As a result, families are experiencing heightened anxiety around elopement concerns. Children may wander toward preferred stimuli such as water or away from overwhelming environments, putting them at risk of drowning, traffic injury, becoming lost, or exposure to extreme weather. Among children with autism, nearly half are reported to have eloped at least once.
The Family Support Team at Renfrew Educational Services proposes a 2027 initiative to increase parents’ understanding of child wandering while reducing barriers to safety strategies. We are requesting $10,000: $5,000 to deliver 10 community-based parent events and $5,000 to help families facing financial barriers access environmental safety modifications.
The project will begin with an information session delivered by Renfrew’s Family Support Team of Registered Social Workers in collaboration with the Calgary Police Service. The session will provide practical information about elopement, why it may occur, and strategies to reduce risk, while identifying families and communities needing additional support.
Throughout 2027, we will host 10 free groups for parents and caregivers in accessible community spaces to:
- Normalize conversations about elopement and reduce shame, stigma, and isolation.
- Connect families with others in their schools and communities to strengthen support networks.
- Share practical safety strategies, resources, and community programs.
- Provide professional guidance to help families identify appropriate strategies.
A layered approach to safety may include door alarms, fencing, monitored exits, identification systems, and GPS tracking devices. While these strategies can reduce risk, families may feel overwhelmed deciding what is appropriate, and financial barriers may prevent implementation.
At each group, a brief three-question survey will gather information about families’ experiences, concerns, and safety needs. Feedback will guide subsequent sessions and identify emerging community needs. Funding will also provide targeted assistance for families unable to afford necessary environmental safety modifications.
By combining education, professional guidance, peer connection, and financial support, this project will help families move from fear and isolation toward greater confidence, preparedness, and safety.
Who Will Benefit?
Renfrew Educational Services has 550 families registered across four school sites. Each family has at least one child with a severe disability, and many are concerned about the risk of unsafe wandering or elopement. Many Renfrew families also experience additional vulnerabilities, including financial challenges, language barriers, cultural isolation, parental overwhelm, limited family support, and reduced community connections.
These families will be the project’s primary beneficiaries. They will gain practical information about wandering and elopement, access to safety resources and professional guidance, and opportunities to connect with other parents and caregivers. Financial assistance will further help families who cannot afford recommended environmental safety modifications. Together, these supports will increase families’ knowledge, confidence, preparedness, and ability to create safer environments for their children.
The project’s impact will extend beyond the families who participate. Events will be hosted in community centres and neighbourhood spaces close to where families live, making safety information accessible to a broader audience. Some events will also bring together families who share cultural or linguistic backgrounds, creating opportunities to build connections within vulnerable communities that may otherwise face barriers to accessing support.
As parents become more informed and connected, they can share safety knowledge and resources with extended family members, neighbours, schools, and other community networks. This increased awareness can help neighbours and community members better understand wandering and elopement and know how to respond if a child goes missing.
The result is a ripple effect: individual families become better prepared; connected families and neighbours become more aware and supportive; and communities become better equipped to respond to and prevent safety risks. By strengthening both family capacity and community connections, this project has the potential to improve safety well beyond the families who directly participate. This funding request is not simply to fund a limited number of events; the goal is to create knowledge, connections and community capacity that can continue spreading beyond each event.