Glossary - Abuse and Family Violence
In Child abuse and neglect, Domestic violence, Family Law
Minutes of Settlement is a document that describes how parties have decided to resolve their issues. For example, you can sign minutes of settlement with your partner or a Children’s Aid Society. It can be used to get a court order, called a consent order, that says what the parties have agreed to.
In Abuse and Family Violence, Family Law
A non-removal order is an order a court makes to prevent one or both parents from taking their child out of a specified area, for example, the country or province.
In Abuse and Family Violence, Family Law
The Office of the Children’s Lawyer (OCL) is the government-funded office that represents children under the age of 18 in some court cases.
The OCL is not automatically involved in court cases dealing with decision-making responsibility and parenting time, which used to be called custody and access. They have to agree to accept your case. The OCL has clinicians and lawyers across Ontario. OCL clinicians, who are usually social workers, prepare reports about a child’s needs, views, and wishes. OCL lawyers represent children in court.
In Child abuse and neglect, Domestic violence, Family Law
Parties are the people or organizations directly involved in a court case, contract, agreement, or other legal matter. For example, a party can be one person or a group of two or more people, a corporation, or an agency like the Family Responsibility Office or Children’s Aid Society.
In most family law cases, both partners are parties but the children are not parties.
In most child protection cases, the Children’s Aid Society and the parents are parties, but the children are not parties.
In Child abuse and neglect, Domestic violence, Family Law
A party or parties are the people or organizations directly involved in a court case, contract, agreement, or other legal matter. For example, a party can be one person or a group of two or more people, a corporation, or an agency like the Family Responsibility Office or Children’s Aid Society.
In most family law cases, both partners are parties but the children are not parties.
In most child protection cases, the Children’s Aid Society and the parents are parties, but the children are not parties.
In Abuse and Family Violence, Criminal Law, Family Law, Housing Law
A peace bond is a court order from a criminal court that requires a person to “keep the peace and be of good behaviour”. The peace bond may also contain other conditions the person must follow. For example, if you are named in a peace bond, you may be required to follow a “no contact” condition.
In Abuse and Family Violence, Child abuse and neglect, Family Law
A protection application is when the Children’s Aid Society starts a court case against a child’s parent because they think that the child is in need of protection.
In Abuse and Family Violence, Criminal Law, Family Law, Immigration Law
A sentence is a punishment given to someone found guilty of an offence. A sentence for an adult can include jail time, but it doesn’t have to. A sentence can also include a fine or a period of probation. Sentences for youth are different.
In Abuse and Family Violence, Child abuse and neglect, Family Law
A child is in society care when they are in the care and custody of the Children’s Aid Society for a certain amount of time. A child can’t be in society care for more than 12 months. If CAS has to care for them longer than 12 months, they have to be in extended society care.
In Abuse and Family Violence, Family Law
Sole custody is a type of custody where only one parent has the right to make important decisions about how to care for and raise a child. It includes the right to make decisions about the child’s health, education, and religion.
The parent with sole custody may have to discuss the issue with the other parent before making an important decision. But the parent with sole custody can make the decision even if the other parent disagrees.
Other people, for example, grandparents, can also apply to the court for custody.
