The nearly unfettered discretion afforded to the Ministry of Social Services is necessary for our province to be able to intervene effectively when a child is being abused. However, with discretion comes the inevitability that people will disagree with how that discretion should be applied. There are over 3,000 Saskatchewan youth in the care of social services if we include children in care under PSI (familial placement) orders. Legal Aid handles the vast majority of parents’ counsel work in this area but if individuals do not qualify for Legal Aid they are left with the options of private counsel or court appointed counsel and our office can assist in either capacity.

Questions about how to have independent legal representation appointed for a child or youth in care can be directed to the Advocate for Children or the Counsel for Children Office. Our office accepts appointments from the Counsel for Children Office on a regular basis to provide legal representation to children and youth in care so that they may have an informed and direct voice in the decisions affecting them.

To request a lawyer for a child or youth involved in a child protection proceeding you may complete the referral form found here.