Welcome and Land Acknowledgement (9:00 – 9:10)
Teresa Sheward — Program Lawyer, CLEBC, Vancouver
Katrina Harry — Manager, Parents Legal Centre, Legal Aid BC, Vancouver
Katherine R. LeReverend — Legal Counsel, Legal Services Branch, Ministry of Attorney General, Victoria
Opening Prayer
Elder Maria Reed — Waabigekek Ikwe
Opening Keynote "Cultivating Safe Spaces" (9:10 – 10:10)
Elaine Alec — Naqsmist, "nux`meest ~ many coming together as one" Transformative Storytelling + Whole Systems Healing, Kamloops
BREAK (10:10 – 10:20)
CFCSA Amendments and Amendments to CFCSA PC Rules (10:20 – 11:20)
- an overview of the amendments made to the Adoption Act and Child, Family and Community Service Act (CFCSA) through Bill 38 (2022), the Indigenous Self-Government in Child and Family Services Amendment Act
- a walkthrough of how the Ministry of Children and Family Development co-developed this legislation with Indigenous rightsholders and partners
- a focus on impacts this legislation will have on the Provincial Court, including the CFCSA PC Rules
Richel Donaldson — Manager, Strategic Child Welfare and Reconciliation Policy, Ministry of Children and Family Development, Campbell River
Dr. Sarah Morales (Su-taxwiye) — Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Victoria, Victoria
Renae Snell — Manager, Legislation and Legal Support, Ministry of Children and Family Development, Victoria
BREAK (11:20 – 11:30)
Case Law Update (11:30 – 12:30)
Daniele D. Poulin — Somers Poulin Hall LLP, New Westminster
Frances Rosner — Barrister & Solicitor, Vancouver
LUNCH (provided to in-person registrants) (12:30 – 1:30)
Applications to Cancel a Continuing Custody Order (CCO) (1:30 – 2:15)
- what is a CCO, why is a CCO made, how can a CCO be cancelled
Scarlet Mirzaian — Staff Lawyer, Parents Legal Centre, Legal Aid BC, Surrey
Andrea L. Thorpe — Thorpe & Company Lawyers, Vancouver
Dealing with Mental Health and Substance Use Issues (2:15 – 3:15)
- Parents Legal Centre (PLC) Advocate/Aboriginal Community Legal Worker (ACLW) role
- common mental health and substance misuse issues for PLC clients
- mental health resources: assessments, Mental Health Teams, Community Services and Supportive Housing
- substance misuse resources: A&D counsellors, Residential & Outpatient Treatment, Community Services and Supportive Housing
- mental health and substance resources: Indigenous clients
Debra Lazzar — Aboriginal Community Legal Worker, Parents Legal Centre, Legal Aid BC, Victoria
Sora J. Vandervelde — Advocate-Paralegal, Vancouver Parents Legal Centre-Indigenous Services, Legal Aid BC, Vancouver
BREAK (3:15 – 3:30)
Trans Youth in Care (3:30 – 4:00)
- practical overview of the law on the ability of trans youth to consent to gender-affirming healthcare
- summary of recent cases about this area of law
- the process for name and gender marker change applications for youth, including medical and parental consent requirements, and how youth in the care of the ministry or youth without the ability to obtain parental consent might access updated ID and records
Adrienne S. Smith — Adrienne Smith Law, Vancouver (they/them)
Roundtable: The Future of Child Protection (4:00 – 4:30)
Richel Donaldson — Manager, Strategic Child Welfare and Reconciliation Policy, Ministry of Children and Family Development, Campbell River
Katrina Harry — Manager, Parents Legal Centre, Legal Aid BC, Vancouver
Debra Lazzar — Aboriginal Community Legal Worker, Parents Legal Centre, Legal Aid BC, Victoria
Katherine R. LeReverend — Legal Counsel, Legal Services Branch, Ministry of Attorney General, Victoria
Daniele D. Poulin — Somers Poulin Hall LLP, New Westminster
Frances Rosner — Barrister & Solicitor, Vancouver
Adrienne S. Smith — Adrienne Smith Law, Vancouver (they/them)
Renae Snell — Manager, Legislation and Legal Support, Ministry of Children and Family Development, Victoria
Andrea L. Thorpe — Thorpe & Company Lawyers, Vancouver
Sora J. Vandervelde — Advocate-Paralegal, Vancouver Parents Legal Centre-Indigenous Services, Legal Aid BC, Vancouver