Child Protection Practice

This book is essential for: director's counsel, parents' counsel, and all others involved in child protection work, including social workers and law students.

Current to: October 2010 

Investigation to trial
Once a child protection investigation is underway, how should you prepare for what follows? Is litigation or mediation the most appropriate strategy, and how do you decide? What do you need to prepare for the protection hearing? What is the role of director’s counsel? What is the role of parents’ counsel? How can you best approach trial preparation, and what are the potential post-trial outcomes? If you are new to this challenging practice area, from investigation to trial, here is what you need to know.

Course Materials Coordinators
Corinne P. Feenie — Steward Feenie, Vancouver
Robert N. Hamilton — Lindsay Kenney LLP, Vancouver

CLEBC Program Lawyer
Teresa Sheward
tsheward@cle.bc.ca

• fact pattern
• child abuse investigations
• navigating the presentation hearing: applications, court procedure following removal, first appearance, presentation hearing
• preparation and conduct of protection hearing: parent's counsel remarks; preparing for and conducting the protection hearing from the perspective of director's counsel—application of the fact pattern; preparing for and conduct of the protection hearing: the perspective of director's counsel
• post-trial outcomes: supervision orders, post-continuing custody order issues, the leave hearing, the actual application to cancel a continuing custody order