CBABC responds to a call for public comment on a consultation paper from BC Law Institute to modernize the Child, Family and Community Service Act (CFCSA) for the government to reform BC’s main child protection law.
Child protection is going through a period of profound change. The BCLI project to modernize the CFCSA aims to contribute to the ongoing reform of the child-protection system. The initial phase of the project is to review the CFCSA to identify outdated provisions and operational incompatibilities and gaps within the statute itself and with legislation that intersects with this Act.
CBABC agrees with a number of the recommendations presented in the paper and with the need to modernize and reform the CFCSA, although the modernization needs to ensure more meaningful access to independent legal advice for children. It also needs to include further consultation with Indigenous communities and new protections for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, two-spirit, queer, non-binary, intersex, asexual, and other sexual minority youth.
The Family Law Working Group, along with SOGIC Section, contributed to the submission to BCLI.
Questions? Email us at advocacy@cbabc.org
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