The Person Beyond the File

Lessons from Young People on Working with Youth in the Criminal Justice and Child Welfare Systems

A Resource for Adults who Work with Youth

Module 1 - First Encounters with the Justice System

Module 2 - First Experiences in Care

Module 3 - Reflections on Diversion and Probation

Module 4 - Interactions with Police and Other Authority Figures

Module 5 - How a Professional Made a Difference

Module 6 - Confusion within the System

Module 7 - Mental Health

Module 8 - Advice to Professionals

Module 9 - How the System Affected Relationships with Parents

Module 10 - The File: How Information is Created, Maintained and Share

Module 11 - Indigenous Perspectives

Modules

01 - First Encounters with the Justice System
02 - First Experiences in Care
03 - Reflections on Diversion and Probation
04 - Interactions with Police and Other Authority Figures
05 - How a Professional Made a Difference
06 - Confusion within the System
07 - Mental Health
08 - Advice to Professionals
09 - How the System Affected Relationships with Parents
10 - The File: How Information is Created, Maintained and Share
11 - Indigenous Perspectives

About the Project

The Person Beyond the File is a video resource developed and created in partnership with young people for adults who work with children and youth. The 11 video modules featured on this site depict the lived experiences of young people who have grown up involved with the child protection and youth criminal justice systems.

Intended as a training tool for legal professionals, educators, youth workers, social workers, etc., the contents of this site are designed to instigate a dialogue for change and help create a more accessible legal system for youth in Ontario.

How to use the Resource

The video modules can be watched individually to illustrate a specific theme, or collectively to gain a better understanding of the challenges these young people faced in navigating the child protection and youth criminal justice systems.

For each module, discussion questions, related reading, and links to topical sources of public legal information are included in the Related Resources and Links section to the right of the video player. All resources and links will open in a separate tab, allowing viewers to return to the main video page as needed.

OJEN uses these videos in our training of legal professionals, educators and youth workers. To learn more about OJEN training, click here.

About the Partners

This video resource developed from a partnership between the Ontario Justice Education Network, Productions Cazabon, the Child Welfare League of Canada and the Office of the Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth. To learn more about each of these partner organizations, click the links below.

About the Funders

The Person Beyond the File was made possible through funding from the Law Foundation of Ontario and the Department of Justice. To learn more about these organizations, click the links below.

A Disclaimer

The information on this website is provided as general information and is not legal advice. This resource does not provide specific options or advice about handling a criminal case or a child protection matter. This resource is designed for adults who work with youth, some of whom may have their own questions about the criminal justice and child protection systems, and some who may need to answer general questions about these two systems. The information on this website is inadequate for someone preparing for their own criminal proceeding or child protection matter.

If you need advice about a specific legal problem, contact a lawyer or community legal clinic. Legal Aid or local Legal Aid Clinics may be able to provide a lawyer for a young person. Justice for Children and Youth (JFCY) provides legal representation and advice for youth across Ontario and can help a young person find a local lawyer. Call JFCY at 1-866-999-JFCY.