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By LegalMatters Staff • Independent from the Alberta government, Children’s Services or Youth Justice, the Office of the Child and Youth Advocate (OCYA) is mandated to provide individual and systemic advocacy for children and youth receiving “designated services” as defined under the Child and Youth Advocate Act.
Its clientele includes young people receiving or attempting to access government services or those involved with the youth justice system.
“The OCYA also provides access to legal representation for young people receiving child intervention services, offers public education and conducts investigations of serious injuries and deaths of young people receiving designated services,” says Edmonton family lawyer Aditya Parihar.
He says the group’s work falls into six areas, the main one being access to legal representation for young people who are involved in matters under the Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act or the Protection of Sexually Exploited Children Act.
“The group’s Legal Representation for Children and Youth (LRCY) program provides lawyers for young people in child intervention court matters,” says Parihar. “An independent lawyer from the OCYA roster meets with the young person to explain the court process and help them understand the court decisions.”
He explains that the lawyers working on behalf of youths must understand their client’s views and preferences along with other relevant evidence.
“Ensuring the proper care and well-being of children can be difficult after the breakdown of a relationship,” Parihar adds.
