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Month: July 2014

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Reforming the Family Justice System in Alberta

Reforming the Family Justice System

The Reforming the Family Justice System initiative is a collaboration between government, the Courts, and a number of organizations, academics and professionals that work within the family justice system in Alberta. The initiative is  founded on the reports of the Family Working Group and the Prevention, Triage and Referral Working Group of the national Action Committee on Access to Justice and aligns with the six guiding principles of the Action Committee:

  • put the public first;
  • collaborate and coordinate;
  • prevent and educate;
  • simplify, make coherent, proportional and sustainable;
  • take action;
  • focus on outcomes.

The first objective of the initiative is to improve awareness, coordination and availability of a wide range of services that support children and families, including information resources, legal resources, related health and social services, prevention assistance and resolution services. In April and May 2014, two workshops were held in Edmonton, bringing together key representatives from ten sectors in the family justice system. A third workshop is scheduled for October 2014. The initiative is  co-convened by the Honourable Justice Andrea Moen, Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta, and Assistant Deputy Minister Lynn Varty, Resolution and Court Administration Services, Justice and Solicitor General.

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Reflections on the Action Committee Colloquium Report

In January, the Action Committee held a two day Colloquium with a cross-section of stakeholders in the access to justice community. This meeting provided a platform from which to transform key access to justice recommendations into actionable strategies. The Colloquium featured breakout groups and keynote speakers that engaged both the innovation and institutional and structural goals identified in the Final Report – A Roadmap for Change. Seeking to capture the collaborative discussions and related recommendations that emerged at this meeting, the Action Committee released the Colloquium Report in June. Functioning as a guide and idea bank, the Colloquium Report offers readers strategies for implementation, examples of “best practices”, and insights into the multiplicity of initiatives currently being piloted by access to justice stakeholders across Canada.