The CBA Family Law Section, in partnership with the Canadian Research Institute for Law and the Family, has released a new toolkit for family lawyers called Successfully Parenting Apart. The resource was produced thanks to generous support from Justice Canada.
It can be difficult for busy lawyers to know how to best assist parents confronted with the challenge of transforming their relationship from parenting as a couple, to being successful co-parents. This toolkit focuses on parenting, rather than law, as it organizes and consolidates online and easily available print resources to address parenting challenges in ways that are most effective for children. As the first point of contact for many separating parents, lawyers need to know the best practices and current social science on family restructuring, and must be equipped to easily direct clients to appropriate resources.
The toolkit offers materials that have been reviewed to ensure that they are accurate, relevant and easy to understand. The materials are organized according to several themes (general information, the child’s view on separation and divorce, communication strategies, Indigenous family law perspectives, dispute resolution options, developing parenting plans, etc.). The resource makes it very easy for family lawyers, or lawyers who only occasionally take a family file, to refer their clients to top quality materials as the need arises.
The Section welcomes feedback and comments from lawyers about the toolkit. Please write to cbafamilylaw@cba.org to tell us:
- How you use the toolkit
- How your clients are responding to it
- Any suggestions you have to improve the toolkit or make it more relevant.