Course Chairs
Harshada Deshpande — Staff Lawyer, Parents Legal Center, Legal Aid BC, Vancouver
Jasmine Perhar — Feenie MacDonald, Vancouver
About the Course Chairs (photo to follow)
Harshada Deshpande works on the traditional territories of the šxʷməθkʷəy̓əmaɁɬ təməxʷ (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh-ulh Temíx̱w (Squamish), and səl̓ilwətaɁɬ təməxʷ (Tsleil-Waututh) Peoples.
Harshada obtained her BA in Psychology and Criminology from SFU in 2011, her JD from UBC in 2014, and was called to the BC bar in 2017. Harshada has been a Staff Lawyer at the Vancouver Parents Legal Centre ("PLC") since 2018. In this role, she represents parents in child protection proceedings, with a focus on early and collaborative resolution. Prior to working at the PLC, Harshada was the Managing Lawyer at Battered Women's Support Services, where she provided legal advice and representation to self-identified women experiencing gender-based violence.
Jasmine Perhar obtained her JD from the University of Saskatchewan, College of Law.
She practiced at a private family law litigation firm where she represented individuals in family law disputes and parents in child protection proceedings. In 2020, Jasmine joined Feenie MacDonald as Counsel for the Director of Child, Family and Community Service. She now exclusively practices in the area of child protection law and represents the Director in child protection proceedings in Vancouver, North Vancouver, Pemberton and Squamish, including representing the Vancouver Aboriginal Child and Family Services Society, the regional delegated Indigenous agency for Vancouver.
Jasmine is committed to collaborative practice and working with families to identify out of court solutions in child protection proceedings.
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Child and Family Services Law and Practice
Get the guidance you need to effectively practice child and family services law
This publication is essential for: practitioners who need guidance on the substantive law and procedure for child and family services matters and the contextual issues underlying this practice area
Current to: May 15, 2024
Child and family services law poses unique challenges. Need to understand how to practice effectively in this area? Let Child and Family Services Law and Practice support you with valuable guidance on all aspects of your practice. In addition to analysis and direction on substantive law and procedure, this manual provides you with important context on the continuing impacts of Canada's colonial history, as well as children's rights, and insights on taking an informed approach to the issues that may arise in child and family services law.
With this resource, you will be able to:
- easily access the current legislation governing child and family services matters, and quickly identify the leading case law and key principles and practice points
- understand the relationship between Canada's colonial history of intervention with Indigenous children and families and the current child and family services system
- improve your practice by incorporating principles of trauma-informed practice and cultural humility
Buy today and provide vital support on family law files to your firm! View a sample from this book!
Highlights of the first release of this publication include:
- chapters exploring governing laws and principles in child and family services law and highlighting Indigenous approaches and perspectives and the rights of children
- chapters addressing contextual matters and practice in child and family services law, including cultural humility, trauma-informed practice, Charter challenges and class actions as remedies, and guidance on working for and with people with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
- chapters explaining substantive law and procedure and guiding readers through the mechanics of a child and family services file, including both the processes under of the Child, Family and Community Service Act and suggestions for collaborative and creative alternatives
- the complete text of An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families, the Child, Family and Community Service Act, the Child, Family and Community Service Regulation, and the Provincial Court (Child, Family and Community Service Act) Rules, all annotated with cases under the specific sections of the legislation
- checklists and forms and precedents to support child and family services lawyers in their practice