New website launched to help Nova Scotian children and teens deal with family breakups

FamiliesChange.ca is a national website to help children, teens and parents deal with separation and divorce. The website launched on October 21, 2016, and provides portals to each participating province and territory with age-appropriate information to help anyone in the family deal with parental separation. All of the resources are available in English and French.

This project was led by the Justice Education Society of British Columbia, with financial assistance from Justice Canada.

The Nova Scotia portal provides access to 3 ‘Guides to Separation and Divorce’ for children, teens, and parents. These guides were developed by the Justice Education Society of BC, and were edited to each province’s and territory’s specifications. The NS portal can be found at Nova Scotia Portal

All guides are available in English and French. This project has also seen the children’s interactive website Changeville.ca made available nationally, also in both English and French.

These resources provide increased access to family justice for Nova Scotians by providing plain language, age-appropriate information about separation and divorce to families.

2015/2016 Annual Report

The Nova Scotia Legal Aid Commission’s 2015/2016 Annual Report can be viewed by clicking this link: 2015/2016 Annual Report.   This Report and Annual Reports for past years can be found in Legal Aid Publications under the About Us tab.

NSLA Private Bar Mentoring Program (PBMP)

Senior members of the criminal and family Private Bar have worked with Nova Scotia Legal Aid (NSLA) to support Private Bar lawyers who are taking Legal Aid Certificates. This partnership has produced the Private Bar Mentoring Program (PBMP) which is being rolled out across Nova Scotia today by NSLA. This initiative recognizes that members of the Private Bar often practice in isolation. Mentoring supports excellence in client service. NSLA thanks the members of the Private Bar who participate in the delivery of legal aid and acknowledge their access to justice commitment by taking these cases. If you have any questions regarding the PBMP, please contact your local NSLA Managing Lawyer.

Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia Supports NSLA Clients in Kentville & Surrounding Areas

THANK YOU to the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia for providing a grant to the Court Monitored Mental Health Program (CMMHP) in Kentville! The grant is specifically for assisting our clients with transportation to and from their bi-weekly court appearances. CMMHP participants reside throughout West Hants and Kings Counties, with little or no access to public transportation. This grant has made a tremendous difference for our rural clients, allowing them to access the CMMHP and thereby resulting in better legal outcomes.

 

mental-health-foundation

 

The Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia is a registered charity dedicated to improving the lives of Nova Scotians living with mental illness and their loved ones, and increasing access to mental health education and awareness for all Nova Scotians. Their mission is to make a difference in the lives of Nova Scotians by supporting mental health initiatives in our communities. Their Community Grants fund important work and, most importantly, offer hope for mental health consumers and their loved ones. For more information, check out www.mentalhealthns.ca. Like them on Facebook and follow on Twitter!

CBA Work on Legal Aid Benchmarks

In 2014, a joint Working Group of the CBA and the Association of Legal Aid Plans of Canada (ALAP) collaborated to formulate and propose national legal aid benchmarks for Canada. After much consultation and discussion, we have now completed that work. The national benchmarks are guiding principles to achieve the shared goal of a national, integrated system of public legal assistance focused on improving access to justice and meeting the needs of disadvantaged people across Canada. These 6 national legal aid benchmarks, under headings of an overall vision, scope of services, priorities for service, spectrum of service, quality of service and an integrated service delivery sector, capture current evidence about legal aid and define pathways for the future, are intended to provide a foundation for national indicators with common data measurement.

To explain these concepts further, the CBA has authored a separate report further elaborating on the rationale and potential of national benchmarks for Canada.

For more information, contact us at equaljustice@cba.org.

Position – Executive Director – Nova Scotia Legal Aid Commission

Halifax, Nova Scotia

The Nova Scotia Legal Aid Commission (NSLAC) is an independent Commission legislatively mandated to provide legal representation to vulnerable Nova Scotians. Our focus is criminal, family and social justice law. The Commission works collaboratively with other justice stakeholders to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of our criminal and family justice systems. The mandate of the Nova Scotia Legal Aid Commission, to the extent that Government funding permits, is:

(a)  To deliver quality legal services to qualified applicants with priority for matters involving the liberty and civil rights of individual clients and for matters involving the integrity and protection of an individual’s family;

(b) Such other legal services as Government may contract with the Commission to provide to individuals or groups.

The NSLAC is seeking an Executive Director to serve as the Commission’s executive head. Accountable to the Commission you will be responsible for the general administration of the legal aid plan and staff in accordance with the Nova Scotia Legal Aid Act and the Regulations. As the Executive Director, you will provide strategic direction and management to an organization of 176 staff (of which 97 are lawyers), offices across the Province and a total budget of $25 million. You are a champion of excellence in client service and will, through sound operational and financial stewardship, enhance the organization’s ability to improve access to justice for vulnerable Nova Scotians. You bring strategic vision and management acumen to this leadership position as the organization undergoes change to support the sustainability of access to justice in Nova Scotia. You are comfortable working with key stakeholders including: clients, agencies, courts, justice officials and various government departments.

The NSLAC seeks a leader with demonstrated experience in a complex, dynamic and client centre environment. You have held positions of leadership with the need to balance and represent various interests in a fair and equitable manner. You hold yourself to the highest standards of professional service using collaboration, innovation, equity and honesty. You are committed to supporting and contributing to the maintenance and development of an efficient and effective justice system that protects the constitutional rights and due process of individuals and promotes their economic stability and social wellbeing.

Being a barrister in good standing; having knowledge of the Statutes of NS, criminal law, constitutional law, family law, administrative law and civil litigation procedures; experience in legal aid and ability to communicate in both English and French will be considered assets.

If you are interested in this opportunity, submit your application / resume by email at astewart@wickwireholm.com or by mail to the attention of Audrey Stewart, Wickwire Holm, PO Box 1054, Halifax, NS B3J 2X6.

All applications must be submitted before midnight, October 21, 2016.

While we appreciate all applications, only applicants selected for an interview will be contacted. All applications held in confidence.

Senate Report – Denying Justice is Denying Justice: An urgent need to address lengthy court delays in Canada

Please find here a link to the Senate Report:  http://www.parl.gc.ca/content/sen/committee/421/LCJC/Reports/CourtDelaysStudyInterimReport_e.pdf.  Former Executive Director, Karen Hudson, QC appeared before the Senate in February 2016.

Ashlea Richard – Staff Lawyer, Bridgewater Office

Please find here a link to the Alumni article regarding Ashlea Richard, Bridgewater Office, from the Faculty of Law, University of Calgary: http://law.ucalgary.ca/alumni/meet-alumni/richard

Uganda & Supporting Access to Justice in Eastern Africa

On August 4th and 5th, Rickcola Brinton, Halifax Youth Office, was invited to participate in workshops held by SAJCEA in Entebbe, Uganda.  The Supporting Access to Justice in Eastern Africa (SAJCEA) Program was designed as a four-year project to be implemented in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. The overall goal of SAJCEA is to improve access to justice for children and youth in the programming countries.  Rickcola facilitated sessions on child-friendly interviewing for Accused children, as well as Restorative Justice approaches for children accused.  The workshops were attended by two High Court Justices, Prosecutors, private lawyers, police and probation officers.

Africville Reunion

On July 23rd, 2016, as part of the Africville Reunion, Rickcola Brinton, Halifax Youth Office, attended an African Nova Scotian Resource event.  This event was attended by a number of different organizations that offer services to the African Nova Scotian community.  Rickcola is pictured here with Carlos Beals, who is a Senior Outreach Worker with CeaseFire Halifax, as well as the 2016 municipal candidate for Dartmouth District 6.  The event allowed both visibility in the community, as well as the opportunity to share Nova Scotia Legal Aid’s social justice offerings and outreach activities.  Some of the organizations present were Association of Black Social Workers, Human Rights Commission, CeaseFire Halifax, Nova Scotia Brotherhood Initiative, African Nova Scotian Affairs and more.