Quick Facts About the Centre

The Centre for Children & Families in the Justice System is a non-profit, registered charity funded partially by the Ontario government and overseen by a voluntary Board of Directors.

The Centre opened in 1974 under the name "London Family Court Clinic," modeled after the family court clinic in Toronto

The first and only service offered in 1974 was to conduct pre-dispositional assessments when requested by judges of the Juvenile Court

The Centre now has 11 service areas:

• ADR-LINK

• Child Welfare Assessment/Consultation Services

• Child Witness Project

• Expert Testimony and other consultation to the courts

• Intensive Intervention Services with youth probationers

• London Custody and Access Project

• Multi-disciplinary Clinical Supports Program

• Research Services

• Training and Resource Development Services

• Youth Justice Assessment Services

• Youth Mental Health Court Service of the Youth Therapeutic Court

About 800 youth (and their families) are served each year across these programs

We have 25 full-time or part-time staff, including clinical psychologists, social workers, other clinicians and therapists, administrative staff, a nurse, a criminologist, a part-time psychiatrist and accounts personnel

Funding comes from annualized government dollars for some service areas, fee-for-service revenue, research & project grants, and charitable donations

Dr. Linda Baker assumed the role of Executive Director in January of 2002

Director Emeritus Dr. Peter Jaffe continues to conduct training and do clinical work through the Centre. In 2009, Peter was appointed to the Order of Canada in recognition of his work in the area of violence against women and children

Each year, about 10,000 people across Canada and the United States attend training workshops and other presentations by Centre staff

The Centre's web site receives almost 300,000 visitors yearly coming from over 200 countries

We have available over 70 original resources, research reports and books for download in electronic format or for purchase in hard copy

11 of our resources are available in the French language

We co-hosted the Third International Conference on Children Exposed to Domestic Violence in May of 2007

Our previous conference on that topic (in 2001) welcomed almost 1,000 delegates from 19 countries across six continents

Each year we supervise 6 to 8 students on placement and internships, mostly from social work, psychology and social service work programs

The Margaret Norrie McCain Lecture Series was launched in 2004

In 1999, we became known as the Centre for Children & Families in the Justice System

Senior management team

• Dr. Linda Baker, Ph.D. C.Psych., Executive Director

• Dr. Dan Ashbourne, Ph.D. C.Psych., Director of Clinical Services

• Alison Cunningham, M.A.(Crim.), Director of Research & Planning

• Karen Rhiger, Director of Corporate Services

The London Family Court Clinic was initially housed in the Middlesex County Courthouse on Dundas St. in London, Ontario. Since 1990, the Centre is located at 254 Pall Mall St., second floor.