Do Canada’s early childhood education and justice systems share common ground?
The Canadian Forum on Civil Justice (CFCJ) is betting they do and they will explore the similarities in their round-table series Issues of Cost & Access: Beyond Silos, Towards Strategies.
Stuart Shankar
Set for March 19 at Osgoode Hall Law School, the round table will explore analogies between early childhood education and access to justice issues. The event will feature presentations from: Stuart Shankar, distinguished research professor of philosophy and psychology and director of the Milton & Ethel Harris Research Initiative; Christine Forsyth, council member with the College of Early Childhood Educators and PhD candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School; Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies Professor Les Jacobs, executive director, CFCJ; and Osgoode Hall Law School Professor Trevor Farrow, CFCJ chair.
Trevor Farrow
“In recent years some of Canada's largest publicly funded systems have made important strides in improving access to services,” says Jacobs. “We are interested in learning from early childhood education experts about how re-framing costs in the civil justice system might help us to improve access. We are particularly keen on learning more about the long-term benefits of early intervention.”
For Sabreena Delhon, executive officer at CFCJ, the event itself is an exercise in efficiency. “Our event underscores the need to share existing information about how to make publicly funded systems more effective, to get it out of silos and into coordinated action that will improve the lives of Canadians.”
Les Jacobs
Previous round tables in 2012 contrasted access issues in the justice system with those in the health-care and social-investment spheres.
Issues of Cost & Access: Beyond Silos, Towards Strategies is co-sponsored by the York Centre for Public Policy & Law and is a part of the Cost of Justice Project, a $1 million, five-year study funded by the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council. Outcomes from the Cost of Justice Project will provide a foundation for policy, practice and program initiatives that will improve access to legal services and resources.
The CFCJ is a national non-profit organization that has been dedicated to advancing civil justice reform through research and advocacy since 1998. It is affiliated with Osgoode Hall Law School.