CHILD PROTECTION

We excel at child protection matters.  For the first four years of her career, Tania worked as a lawyer for a local children's aid society. Due to this experience, we are familiar with all areas of child protection law and know how things work at a child protection agency.  That knowledge is a valuable part of our services. 

We offer services for representation in court matters, consult regarding voluntary service agreements and other non-court children's aid society involvement.  We represent parents, grandparents, or other family members who may need to or wish to be involved by putting in a plan for a child.  These are often referred to as kinship applications.  

We also provide representation for foster parents pursuant to rights granted under the Child and Family Services Act, and those who wish to bring a matter before the Child and Family Services Review Board.

Contact us to discuss your personal situation and how we can be of assistance.

Further Information

Below you will find helpful links that may answer some of your questions and assist in understanding the process.  Child protection is a serious matter and legal representation is strongly advised.

  • For more information on Children's Aid Societies, please consult the Ontario Association of Children's Aid Socities website at http://www.oacas.org/.
  • For more information on the complaint process for the Child and Family Services Review Board, please consult http://www.cfsrb.ca/.
  • Click here for a short guide with basic information for parents on children's aid involvement published by Community Legal Education Ontario.  If you require other languages, view this link to obtain information in other languages including Chinese, French, Arabic, Somalie, Spanish, Tamil and Urdu.
  • The most applicable legislation for the children's aid socities is the Child and Family Services Act.  Click the link earlier on this page to receive that information.
  • The Ministry of the Attorney General has helpful information regarding child protection matters.  Consult their website at http://www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca/english/family/divorce/child_protection/.
  • For a Court Guide to assist you in proceeding through the Court, visit this link.

Family Group Conferencing

This type of conflict resolution is becoming more popular among children's aid societies.  It is a decision-making model where a mediator meets with representatives from the society and the families.  Family participation often includes the parents and other family members that are putting forward a plan of care and/or those that support the plan.  The process generally takes 6 weeks.  Various children's aid societies are implementing this conferencing model although there can be differences in the application.  This type of meeting should be distinguished from family meetings run by society staff.  An outside participant is engaged for a formal family group conference.

For more information on family group conferencing, explore the George Hull Centre website and their links.  The American Humane Association's website on family group decision making also provides background information on this process.

The OACAS also has several resources on family group conferencing including an article on children's participation in these groups.