Publications

In Canada there is growing interest in creating a map that can assist justice system stakeholders and the public to gain a full understanding of justice systems, legal services and dispute resolution options. This paper explains that 'mapping' is a form of needs assessment research utilizing a collaborative network approach to involving all stakeholders in developing a coordinated, effective and user-focused approach to providing holistic legal and related social service delivery. This paper, originally presented at the Seventh LSRC International Conference, Reaching Further: New Approaches to the Delivery of Legal Services, presents examples of mapping research and discusses how the information gained can assist in:

• understanding relative distributions of populations and legal services, including the identification of hard-to-reach groups;
• identifying and enhancing existing programs and services that work well;
• indicating where existing services can be better coordinated and interrelated to provide holistic programs;
• shifting resources where duplication is identified;
• identifying where services gaps exist and the type of new programs that will most effectively meet this need; and
• identifying needed changes to current law, rules and practice.

Published in LawNow (Novemeber/Decemeber 2010)

This article is based on interview data collected as part of the Alberta Legal Services Mapping Project. Interviews with 17 participants who were currently homeless are joined with reports from legal and social service providers across Alberta to illustrate how the many pathways to homelessness entwine with systems of law and legal issues in many ways. While laws, justice systems and legal services alone cannot resolve the wicked social problems entwined with homelessness, they can and do play a critical role within which there is much room for improvement.

Our thanks to LawNow for allowing us to provide this direct link to the magazine article.

Calgary is the pilot Judicial District for the project and this report provides an introduction to the project and our methodology. The Report then addresses the current state of legal and related service delivery in the Calgary Judicial District, highlights key barriers and gaps in legal service delivery and provides recommendations to enhance service delivery in the District.

This report provides a sampling of preliminary findings from research conducted with legal and related social service provides in the Calgary Judicial District during the pilot phase of this project.

The Alberta Self-Represented Litigants Access to Justice Mapping Project was designed to document the range of government and non-government services and supports currently available to self-represented litigants (SRLs) in Alberta. The mapping process also reveals issues surrounding current service delivery including gaps in present services and possible ways of bringing existing services more closely in-line with the needs of SRLs. This research was undertaken as a collaboration between Alberta Justice and non-government organizations concerned with services related to access to justice.

The report begins with an overview of the background, rationale and objectives for the Mapping Project. Details of the mapping research methodology follow. Sections 4 to 6 present the project findings. Section 4 considers which people may be self-representing and Section 5 presents findings about current services to SRLS, including the type, extent, demand, capacity, accessibility and other associated service issues. Section 6 looks at unmet service needs of SRLs on two main levels: 1) what can be done to enhance delivery of currently available services; and 2) what service gaps need to be filled and how this might be achieved. Special attention is paid to the role a self-help centre or kiosk could play in achieving improved SRL services.