Battered Women Support Services
Response to:
White Paper on Family Relations Act:
Reform Proposals for a new Family Law Act
Introduction
Battered Women Support Services (BWSS) recognizes the value and importance of the family law modernization initiative the provincial government has committed to undertaking and appreciates the opportunity to provide a response to its proposals. Together with other interveners, we support the White Paper’s overall position that, “it is important that court and non-court processes are effective and responsive to families’ needs.” We appreciate the White Paper’s citation that, “One of the strongest indicators of mounting social problems appears to be the failure to successfully and permanently resolve legal issues. Escalation in these [family law] cases invariably impacts children, and often other extended family members.”
From our perspective, access to justice and effective legal representation on issues related to family law and particularly with regard to violence against women in relationships, is fundamentally intertwined with access to family law legal aid and a stable community service sector that has the needed capacity to strongly support women dealing with violence, relationship and family break down. Equally important, is the requirement to support a comprehensive training regime for family justice professionals, judges, crown attorneys and law enforcement officers. (Read More)
Battered Women’s Support Services White Paper Family Relations Act Reform
