Justice for Children and Youth

About Justice for Children and Youth

Justice for Children and Youth (JFCY) is a non-profit legal aid clinic based in downtown Toronto that represents children and youth across Ontario. It's the operating name of the Canadian Foundation for Children, Youth and the Law, a charity incorporated in 1978. The organization started out under the name Justice for Children and became Justice for Children and Youth in 1990, and it marked its 35th anniversary in 2013.

JFCY's staff lawyers give free summary legal advice, brief services, and representation to people under 18 anywhere in Ontario, and to homeless or unstably housed young people up to age 25. The clinic's work covers youth criminal justice, education (including suspensions, expulsions, and special education), child welfare, human rights, health and mental health, provincial offences, and immigration and refugee matters. It doesn't take on civil lawsuits and generally doesn't handle family law, which the Office of the Children's Lawyer covers instead. JFCY is part of Legal Aid Ontario's network of specialty legal clinics and also does public legal education, test case litigation, and law reform advocacy on issues that affect young people.

Beyond its University Avenue office, JFCY runs Street Youth Legal Services, sending a lawyer out to shelters and youth drop-ins around Toronto each week, and it partners with the Toronto Justice Centre to provide education law support to young people involved in the youth justice system.