Young persons who commit crimes must be held accountable, but in Canada (as in most other western democracies), because of their age, we approach “youth crime” differently than how we approach crimes committed by adults. In keeping with international standards and scientific understanding, young … [Read more...]

Until the late 1980s, the justice system in Canada regarded children as inherently unreliable and their rare appearances in court were often extremely stressful. Since then, there have been dramatic changes in the awareness of child abuse and growing recognition that children can be highly reliable … [Read more...]

Parenting coordination is a form of alternative dispute resolution ("ADR") targeting the needs of separated parents who are experiencing entrenched conflict and are having difficulty implementing court orders and parenting plans. Through different techniques such as negotiation, problem-solving, … [Read more...]

Alberta’s youth criminal justice system is struggling to meet the demand for mental health treatment due to a lack of space in secure mental health treatment facilities. The youth criminal justice system would benefit from a more integrated approach to the administration of youth criminal justice … [Read more...]

In mid-September 2017, the Canadian Research Institute for Law and the Family and the Alberta Office of the Child and Youth Advocate ("OCYA") hosted an innovative two-day national symposium on children’s participation in justice processes in Calgary, Alberta. The symposium brought together leading … [Read more...]

Until you face a family law issue, you may never know that your pre-verbal children, who have not yet learned to speak, can have a lawyer appointed to represent them with or without your consent. Lawyers are routinely appointed through Office of the Child and Youth Advocate, for children and youth, … [Read more...]