Advancing Continuous Improvements in the Family Justice System

Project title

• Advancing Continuous Improvements in the Family Justice System: The Collective Impact of a Well-being Focus in Family Law

What is it?

• A multi-phase initiative, led by CREATE Justice, to explore how collective impact approaches can support continuous improvement in Saskatchewan's family justice system

• Project is grounded in research on well-being, resilience, trauma-informed practice, and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), recognizing the significant impacts that family justice processes can have on individuals, families, and communities

Who is participating?

• Family justice stakeholders, researchers, community organizations, legal professionals, and system leaders are identifying opportunities for collaboration, innovation, and evidence-informed reform

• Funding is provided by the Canadian Bar Association's Law for the Future Fund (LFFF)

Where are the findings being shared?

• Project and workshop reports
• CREATE Justice website
• Academic journal publications
• Conference presentations
• Podcasts and other public-facing knowledge mobilization initiatives
• Stakeholder networks across Saskatchewan and Canada

Project findings and related work have also been shared through presentations to local and national audiences, including the National Action Committee on Access to Justice Conference, and through collaboration with justice-sector organizations and research partners across Canada. 

• Advance continuous improvement within Saskatchewan's family justice system

• Strengthen collaboration across organizations and sectors

• Explore use of collective impact and strategy mapping approaches to guide family justice reform

• Support evidence-informed decision-making through stakeholder engagement and action research

• Improve outcomes for individuals and families navigating family justice processes

Phase 1:

• Mapped existing family justice processes in Saskatchewan and examined the potential of a strategy map approach, informed by initiatives in Alberta and British Columbia, to support collective impact and system change

Phase 2:

• Focused on collectively interpreting the findings from Phase 1 and advancing a Saskatchewan approach to family justice reform through:
  • Cross-sector workshops and stakeholder consultations;
  • Ongoing engagement with the Project Advisory Committee and Family Justice Community of Practice;
  • Collaboration with national partners, including the Centre for Systems Transformation and Family Justice at the University of Calgary;
  • Development and testing of practical tools and resources to support future system-improvement efforts; and
  • Knowledge mobilization through reports, publications, conference presentations, podcasts, and other public-facing resources.

Methodology:

• An action research methodology was followed, emphasizing stakeholder participation, reflection, learning, implementation, and continuous improvement.

Co-Leads:

• Brea Lowenberger, CREATE Justice, College of Law, University of Saskatchewan

• Dr. Judy Jaunzems-Fernuk, College of Law Well-Being Coordinator, Instructor and Researcher in the College of Education, and Mental Health Practitioner

Project Liaison to the Saskatchewan Access to Justice Network and Strategic Advisor:

• Leah Howie

Phase 1 Project Advisory Committee:

• Anna Singer

• Jamesy Patrick

• Jayne Mallin

• Kim Newsham, KC

• Lawren Trotchie

• Melissa Nelson

• Pam Kovacs

PHASE 2:

Re-Imagining the Future of Family Justice Podcast (August 2026)

Developed in partnership with Cascade Communications, this podcast shares Phase 1 and Phase 2 project findings, reflections, lessons learned, and opportunities for future collaboration within Saskatchewan's family justice sector.

• Watch the podcast on YouTube

Dean's Forum on Access to Justice Final Report (March 2026)

This report summarizes stakeholder engagement activities, discussions, reflections, and future priorities identified through the March 2026 Dean's Forum workshop, including user testing of collaborative leadership and collective impact tools that built off the Fall 2025 workshop.

• About the 2026 Dean's Forum

Advancing Continuous Improvements in the Family Justice System in Saskatchewan Report (November 2025)

This report summarizes a workshop that identified opportunities to strengthen Saskatchewan’s family justice system and tested various systems change tools to support ongoing improvement, collaboration, and more responsive outcomes for families.

• Post-Workshop Summary and Next Steps Report
• Research Snapshot #2

PHASE 1:

CHASR Focus Group Project Report: Advancing Continuous Improvements in the Family Justice System (August 2025)

This report examines the viability of a strategy map approach as a tool for supporting collective impact and continuous improvement in Saskatchewan's family justice system.

• CHASR Focus Group Project Report
• Research Snapshot #1

Related Dean's Forum on Access to Justice Reports (March 2025)

The 2025 Dean’s Forum focused on continuous improvement in the family justice system, from both an upstream (Topic 1) and a downstream (Topic 2) approach.

Students were split into two groups to examine these two interconnected topics, from the perspective of public legal education and well-being for users of the system.

Topic 1, Before You Live Together, Read This... focused on best practices for creating public legal education for teens about legal rights and responsibilities related to family law and healthy relationships.

Topic 2, Before You Separate, Read This... focused on how principles of good legal design can be utilized to create a process map of the family justice system for self-represented litigants. 

• More about the 2025 Dean's Forum

Transforming Family Justice Podcast: Advancing Well-Being and Systemic Change in Saskatchewan (October 2024)

A RESOLVing Violence podcast featuring Brea Lowenberger and Dr. Judy Jaunzems-Fernuk discussing family justice reform, well-being, and systems change in Saskatchewan.

• Transforming Family Justice Podcast

This project has been made possible through funding from the Canadian Bar Association's Law for the Future Fund (LFFF). We are grateful for the Fund's support in advancing collaborative, evidence-informed approaches to family justice reform in Saskatchewan.

Interested in contributing to efforts to improve Saskatchewan's family justice system?

Email createjustice@usask.ca to learn more about the project and opportunities for involvement.