March 25, 2009

Hot off the press from LSS

Aboriginal child protection wallet cards: We've produced a new wallet card describing what Aboriginal parents and their communities can do in Aboriginal child protection matters, and emphasizing parents’ rights to get a lawyer as soon as they are informed that they are under investigation for a child protection matter. The wallet card also provides space for writing down important details, such as court dates and the ministry social worker’s name, to give parents quick access to the information they need, including how to contact legal aid to find out if they qualify for a free lawyer.

Living Together or Living Apart: This updated second edition (formerly called Living Together, Living Apart), for people in same-sex or opposite-sex relationships who are thinking about separating or are already separated, explains legal rights when separating, including what happens to the children, how to settle money/property or other financial/legal issues, and where to get legal help and information. Living Together or Living Apart also includes information on pre-nuptial, cohabitation, and marriage agreements in case a relationship breaks up. This edition replaces the first edition, which is now out of date.

If Your Child Is Taken by the Ministry of Children and Family Development: Your Rights as a Parent: This brochure (also for guardians, family members, and advocates) was updated in February 2009 with current contact numbers for legal aid offices in BC and information on mediation and shared decision-making options.

Your Guide to the Refugee Claim Process combines and replaces the Refugee Fact Sheet Series and explains the process of seeking refugee protection in Canada. The guide contains straightforward information about how to start a claim in BC, the overall process (including a new flowchart), how to fill out the forms for each stage, and where to get legal and other help. As well, an additional translation of the Immigration and Refugee Board’s Personal Information Form (PIF) is now available in simplified Chinese (Spanish and traditional Chinese versions are still available as well). These translated forms are designed to help refugee claimants fill out their official PIF document.

Benefits and Services for Seniors: This booklet is now available in Farsi, and there's a new edition in traditional Chinese. Benefits and Services for Seniors gives immigrant seniors the information they need to access benefits and services in the areas of health care, housing, income security, wills and agreements, protection from abuse, transportation, and interpretation and community services.

Update insert for Your Welfare Rights: A Guide to BC Employment and Assistance: There have been some important changes to welfare law and policy since Your Welfare Rights was last printed in January 2008. We have created an insert — to be used with the existing booklet — that details the effects those changes have had on citizenship requirements, disability trusts, medical benefits, security deposit supplements, reconsideration deadlines, and other areas of welfare rights.

How to Appeal Your Conviction and How to Appeal Your Sentence: New editions of these two criminal law booklets with only minor changes were printed in January 2009, so your existing copies are still usable. Intended for people who may or may not be in custody, but have to conduct a conviction or sentence appeal without the help of a lawyer, the booklets explain how to prepare for the appeal, and contain a sample affidavit and removable blank forms the applicant can use.

All of the above are available on the LSS website. To order copies, e-mail Distribution.