An Evaluation of Alberta's Family Law Act
Date
2009-05-01
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Publisher
Canadian Research Institute for Law and the Family.
Abstract
The Alberta Family Law Act (FLA) was enacted on October 1, 2005 in an effort to modernize, rationalize and consolidate Alberta family law, streamline court procedures, and provide a non-adversarial approach to resolving family conflict in the best interests of children and families. With funding form the Alberta Law Foundation, the Canadian Research Institute for Law and the Family (CRILF) conducted a two-year evaluation of the legislation in order to determine whether the procedural and substantive changes are fair, effective, and efficient. The objectives of this study were to: 1. Develop a detailed evaluation framework, including measurement tools and instruments. CRILF worked with the Steering Committee to determine what was feasible in terms of data collection and measurement. The evaluation framework guided the remainder of the project; 2. Evaluate the impact of the procedural changes that have resulted from the FLA. A significant change under the Family Law Act was the streamlining of court procedures. The project examined the impact of this change on workload to see if the Act has been successful in its objectives of procedural effectiveness, efficiency, and accessibility; 3. Evaluate the impact of the substantive changes outlined in the FLA. Substantively, the Family Law Act deals with all aspects of family law in a nondivorce context. The Act recognizes changing social conditions and updates key legal concepts. It is important to assess whether the changes have been fair, effective, and efficient; and, 4. Inform recommendations to improve the effectiveness of the FLA and to fine tune provisions.
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Citation
MacRae, L.D, Simpson, S, Paetsch, J.J, Bertrand, L.D, Pearson, S. & Hornick, J.P. (2009). An Evaluation of Alberta's Family Law Act (Rep.). Calgary, AB: Canadian Research Institute for Law and the Family.