Source: (2003) Paper presented at the Sixth International Conference on Restorative Justice. June 2003. The Centre for Restorative Justice, Simon Fraser University. Downloaded 2 October 2003.
Carrier Sekani Family Services (CSFS), with the support of the Law Foundation of British Columbia, successfully implemented a Family Law Alternative Dispute Resolution Research Project for Carrier and Sekani people coming into contact with family court process. The project, which engaged the participation of a broad selection of participants including young parents, youth, Elders, and hereditary and elected leadership, re-ignited interest in community driven approaches to resolving disputes through the incorporation of traditional community values and practices.
This presentation will focus on the processes that CSFS employed to ensure that community voice directed the development of the project and resulted in a product that reinforces community values and principles. Carrier and Sekani people have long asserted that their governing structures have never relinquished the responsibility to care for their children.
The research project reaffirmed the fact that Carrier and Sekani society maintains a complex social and legal order where children are viewed as special gifts, and standards for their care and protection are well entrenched in governing systems that continue to be practiced to this day. In keeping with this principle, the project focused on articulating long established Carrier and Sekani laws relevant to the care of children with the purpose of establishing a framework in which disputes regarding the care of children will be resolved using Carrier and Sekani laws and values in a culturally appropriate manner. Abstract Courtesy of the Centre For Restorative Justice, Simon Fraser Universtiy, www.sfu.ca/cfrj.
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