On July 17th, 2014, Nellie’s held a workshop on Family Law, specifically child custody and access, at the Community Support and Outreach Office. The workshop was facilitated by the Program Lawyer and Legal Information Coordinator from METRAC Action on Violence. METRAC has a community Justice Program that provides accessible legal information to women and service providers with a specific focus on how policies and law affect women from diverse backgrounds, especially those experiencing abuse or violence. 21 women from the community attended this workshop to learn more about the family law process, their legal rights and participated in discussion on likely scenarios that could occur during the family law process.
The workshop covered the following topics: custody and access basics, how courts decide custody and access, following custody and access order, tips for dealing with a difficult parent and difficult custody situations.
More specifically, the workshop covered the meaning of custody, who can get custody, how to get custody and the different types of custody that exists. Custody refers to the legal right and responsibility to make all the important decisions for your child’s life. It also covered the meaning of access, who can get access and types of access (such as reasonable access, fixed access, graduated access, supervised access and no access). Access refers to the right to spend time with the child and know about child’s health, education and well-being.
The workshop also addressed what to do when leaving an abusive relationship. If you are leaving an abusive relationship and take your child with you:
- When you get to a safe place, get a message to the other parent to let them know the child is safe, but be careful to not disclose your location
- Talk to a family lawyer right away
If you are have leave for safety reasons and cannot take your child with you:
- Keep in contact with your child and file for custody as soon as possible
- Try to make sure of the following: you child is safe, your child knows what is happening, your child knows you love them and the child knows how to contact you
For more resources on the topic, go to:
Nellie’s also has Transitional Housing and Support Workers who can provide support accessing legal aid, finding a lawyer, 2-hour free legal consultation certificates with a family lawyer and support and accompaniments during the family legal process.
