Fact Sheet:

Child-centered Family Justice Fund

Public Legal Education and Information and Professional Training Component

Introduction

The federal Child-centred Family Justice Strategy has been given a five-year mandate, scheduled to end in March 2008. The overall objective of the Strategy is three-fold: in cases of separation or divorce, (i) to promote decisions tailored to the individual needs of the children; (ii) to promote a family justice system that facilitates the timely resolution of family law matters; and, (iii) to increase compliance with parenting arrangements and child support obligations. To achieve this, the Department of Justice established the Child-centred Family Justice Fund.

One component of the Fund, entitled the Public Legal Education and Information (PLEI) and Professional Training component, supports public legal education and information and professional training projects in order that participants in the family justice system (families, judiciary, bar, court staff, enforcement staff, mediators, and others) are well informed about family justice reforms. The specific objective of the PLEI and Professional Training component is to enhance the knowledge of Canadians, including the legal community, about family law reforms concerning parenting arrangements, child support guidelines, and support enforcement measures.

(A) Public Legal Education and Information (PLEI) - Funding Priorities

One aim of the Department's Child-centred Family Justice Fund is to promote access to the justice system by facilitating community public legal education and information efforts to revise, develop, disseminate and deliver information on parenting arrangements, child support and support enforcement issues. This information should meet community and client needs for a wide variety of target groups including parents from identified hard-to-reach groups who are separating and divorcing, Aboriginal parents, official language minority communities, the youth population, and other separating and divorcing parents among the general public.

The Department has established the following priorities for the PLEI - Project component of the Child-centred Family Justice Fund:

1. to develop PLEI activities promoting parental responsibilities;
   
2. to develop information that meets the needs of unrepresented litigants;
   
3. to develop information that meets the needs of official language minority communities;
   
4. to develop PLEI activities that meet the needs of identified hard-to-reach groups of parents who are separating and divorcing;
   
5. to develop information that meets the needs of young people who may become parents;
   
6. to continue to inform and educate other parents among the general public who are separating and divorcing; and,
   
7. to continue to inform professionals and other intermediaries whose clients include separating and divorcing parents.

Examples of PLEI Activities that could be Eligible for Funding

• Information sessions on parental roles and responsibilities
  
• Research activities
  
• Development of plain language materials on the family justice system (process, legislation)
  
• Development of workbooks and/or self-help kits for parents and/or un-represented litigants;
  
• Training sessions for intermediaries;
  
• Development of materials on the family justice system, including services available in the minority language community
  
• Revisions to existing print material for parents (e.g., how to obtain variations, going to court)
  
• Development of new materials and approaches to educate youth

(B) Professional Training - Funding Priorities

The main objective of the Professional Training component of the Child-centred Family Justice Fund is to assist with the implementation of family law reforms related to parenting arrangements, child support and support enforcement measures. Professionals directly involved in family law, with divorcing and separating parents, or with the court system, need information on federal and provincial/territorial family law, child support and court reforms. In order to inform the legal profession, the judiciary, mediators and other professionals and intermediaries, departmental officials have given training sessions and have participated in workshops organized by professional organizations, societies and associations. In addition, the Family, Children and Youth Section has provided funding to these organizations to develop child support materials, workshops and training sessions.

A main priority for professional training is to support continuing education efforts for professionals and intermediaries on parenting arrangements, child support, and support enforcement measures. Therefore, the following areas will be targeted with respect to professional training and education:

• development of continuing education programs on child-centred family justice issues;
  
• assisting professionals, intermediaries and service providers to keep up to date on these issues; and,
  
• continuing to inform new professionals, intermediaries and service providers on child-centred family law reforms.

For further information, you can:
1) Phone the program manager at (613) 957-0642
2) Fax us at (613) 952-9600
3) Or write to us at:

Department of Justice Canada
Program Development Unit
Family, Children and Youth Section
284 Wellington Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0H8