This workshop enhances students’ practical and theoretical understanding of child protection. Building on the Children and the Law seminar, students explore the system through the perspectives of those most impacted and examine the socio-economic factors that lead to family involvement. You will develop skills in document drafting by working with counsel and participate in two four-week placements (one day each week), mentored by Children’s Aid Societies and legal counsel representing parents and children. Additionally, you will hear from parents with lived experience, engage with community partners, and learn self-care strategies—fostering reflection on the connections between theory, policy, and practice.
The exact externship experience will vary depending on placements, but typical activities include: observing preparations for a temporary care hearing, summary judgment motions, or trial preparation with parent’s counsel or society counsel; observing a supervising lawyer negotiating a temporary or final resolution of a child protection case; attending court and/or mediations with a supervising lawyer, followed by debriefs; observing Children’s Aid Society-supervised access visits and subsequent debriefs; and spending a day with a child protection team to assess intervention needs for a family—and subsequent debriefs. Placements will be in person.
Method of Evaluation:
Ten percent (10%) of the evaluation will be based on attendance at and appropriate participation in the two externship placements. Fifteen percent (15%) of the evaluation will be based on active participation in the group portions of the workshop.
Seventy five percent (75%) of the evaluation will be based on a 25 page paper reflecting on the externship experience as it relates to the student’s background understanding of law, procedure, policy and/or theory.
or
A journal (worth 75%) consisting of five or more entries (for a total of 25 pages), completed contemporaneously with the externship, reflecting on various externship experiences as they relate to the student’s background understanding of law, procedure, policy and/or theory will be submitted at the end of term.
or
A writing/reflection project (75%) focusing on the development of content for a public information program for individuals engaged with the child protection system (for a total of 25 pages).