Clinical Assessment - Working with Luke

My role at the Office of the Children’s Lawyer is to conduct an assessment pursuant to s. 112 of the CYFSA. I provide independent investigations and reports to the Court, and clinical assistance to lawyers, in custody and access matters before the Court. The governing legislation for these matters is the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, the Divorce Act, the Children's Law Reform Act, and the Courts of Justice Act. ​

Prior to working with the OCL, I was a child therapist, worked in schools, group homes, and with Children’s Aid Societies. I am skilled in working with children with disabilities and children who are gender nonconforming or LGBTQ+. I have experience interacting with children of varying developmental ages and stages, and making recommendations about their well-being and interests.

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From the Ministry website:

Clinicians who prepare Children's Lawyer reports regularly interview and observe children. The child interview is an opportunity for the clinician to get to know and understand the child. The clinician will interview all the children named on the order, as many times as they think is necessary.

The clinician understands that the child may be experiencing many different feelings about the separation and the family situation. Depending upon the age of the child, the clinician may have the child:

• engage in structured play

• draw pictures

• tell stories in order to talk about their feelings

A parent may bring the child to the child interview but cannot be there during the interview. To prepare your child, you may tell them that the clinician just wants to meet them to get to know them better.

It is best if the interview can be done in a comfortable and familiar environment. Child interviews could occur in:

• the clinician’s office

• a room in your home

• at their school

• at a private place in the community

If the clinician interviews the child at their school, they do not interview them in their classroom or in front of their peers or teacher.

The clinician will not ask the child:

• which parent they want to live with

• to take sides about parenting time, decision-making responsibility or contact arrangements

• to choose between parents

If a child is not speaking yet, the clinician will not interview the child, but may observe the child at a daycare or preschool.

Should you have questions, please contact my assistant at the email below. Please note that I am unable to reply immediately to email correspondence and will get back to you as soon as I am able. For emergency situations, please contact your local emergency room, child welfare authority, or police service.