Trusted and Knowledgeable Calgary Child Protection Lawyers

Most parents have the intention of creating a safe, happy and nurturing home for their child. When that intention is questioned or challenged, it can be a devastating experience for the entire family. When a family becomes engaged in the child intervention process by the Director of Children’s Services (CS), it can cause serious and complicated legal issues that can have long term detrimental effects on the family, particularly on children. If you or your family are in this position, you need a team of lawyers that understand what you are facing, and who can help you navigate the complex legal issues that will arise.

Empathy, Knowledge and Experience

Mincher Koeman’s family law lawyers have extensive experience assisting families facing various stages of the child intervention process in Calgary. Lynsey Mincher, one of our firm’s founding partners, previously worked as Director’s Counsel with CS prior to her move to private practice. Since moving into the practice of family law, both Lynsey Mincher and her partner Andrew Koeman have taken on many cases challenging the legal basis of various steps of the child intervention process on behalf of their clients. Their experience and backgrounds afford them a unique understanding of a complex system and allow the lawyers at our firm to advise clients with an insight into the child intervention process few other family law firms in Calgary can provide. We are regularly sought out by colleagues in the Calgary family bar for opinions or assistance in this area of the law and have also been asked to provide our opinions to courts in the UK on Canadian child protective matters, including on how the system impacts families and children.

We are passionate advocates for children, particularly when a child is taken from the only home they know and placed in an unfamiliar environment. The removal of a child from their home is deeply traumatic, even if the care they received there was less than perfect. This step should always be a last resort option in order to prevent further unnecessary trauma to the child or children involved.

Our lawyers have helped numerous parents challenge CS investigations and CS orders for apprehension or guardianship. We thoroughly understand how the system works and we are extremely skilled and efficient at putting together legal challenges to the various steps of the Alberta child protection process. Our firm also has significant experience assisting Indigenous families with navigating this system, and with factors unique to First Nations communities such as the Kinship Care Program.

We also represent individuals and families seeking to care for a child who has been removed from their home. It is always preferable to place children with people familiar to them whenever possible, and in many cases, extended family members or close friends will request guardianship while CS conducts its investigation and attempts to resolve the issues in the home.

Our lawyers can assist parents and guardians who find themselves facing each of the following elements of the child protection system in Alberta:

Contact Mincher Koeman for Urgent Assistance with Child Protection Matters

At Mincher Koeman, we have the experience and the dedication necessary to help any family or guardian navigate the complex child protection process in Alberta. We understand how the system works, and we know how to effectively challenge or advocate at each stage. If your family has become involved in this process, or you are seeking guardianship of a child who is the subject of an intervention, please contact our office to discuss your options by calling us at 403-910-3000 or by contacting us online.