On October 25, 2024, a Family Experience Mapping Event took place in Vancouver. The Health and Justice Alliance (HJA) convened 45 individuals, including adults and young people with lived experiences of separation and the family justice system, as well as physicians, lawyers and family service providers. Six parents told their stories of high-conflict separation. Based on these stories and the participants’ collective knowledge and expertise, the gathering considered what actions they could take together to improve the experience and promote the well-being of children and families.
A report on the event was put together and, in it, the HJA Steering Committee recommends the following health and justice collaborative actions:
- Explore ways to support and appropriately check in with children whose parents are separating;
- Explore ways to support Indigenous health and justice collaboration in family justice system redesign for Indigenous children, youth, and families;
- Develop an early intervention model focusing on mitigating and buffering against Adverse Childhood Expeirences (ACEs);
- Engage in and learn from cross-sectoral prototyping of a redesigned child-centred process, testing it with defined populations, particularly those who face systemic disadvantage;
- Develop a decision tree model to help guide families through parental separation and refer them to legal and medical resources in a timely manner;
- Introduce cross-profession training modules on trauma-informed practice, ACEs, Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs), resilience, and family justice.
Check out the Family Experience Mapping Event Report by clicking here or on the image below.
