Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Michael Saini, Ph.D., MSW, RSW is a Full Professor and holds the endowed Factor-Inwentash Chair in Law and Social Work at the University of Toronto’s Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work. He is Co-Director of the Combined J.D./M.S.W. Program with the Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto. Dr. Saini has authored over 200 publications, including peer-reviewed articles, books, and government reports, and regularly presents internationally on family law, separation and divorce, child protection, parenting plan decision-making, and children’s rights. He is the Past-President of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC), President of Family Mediation Canada, and an Associate Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers.
Dr. Michael Saini’s interests have focused on research, policy and practice with children and families involved with child welfare, family law and dispute resolution programs. He is also focused on Access to Justice in family law matters. He is currently involved in research to explore high conflict divorce and separation, parenting competency after divorce, the intersection of child welfare and custody disputes, and child protection mediation as an alternative to legal disputes within the child welfare context. He has published in the areas of evidence-based custody evaluations, factors of interparental high conflict, the treatment of anger and aggression, judicial decisions of joint custody, and parenting competency post divorce and separation.
Dr. Michael Saini conducts Parenting Plan Assessments (Section 30 Assessments). For more information regarding fees, retainer and availability, contact him at [email protected]
Clinical investigators in the Office of the Children's Lawyer are authorized by law to conduct investigations and prepare reports under section 112 of the Courts of Justice Act. They collect and evaluate information from family members and others who have been involved with the family to help understand what parenting arrangement would be best for the children. They assist families to look at various options that will meet the needs of the child/ren and the family. They may prepare reports for the court with recommendations that consider the interests and wishes of children. They may be called to give evidence, at court, based on our report. http://www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca/english/family/ocl/socialwork.asp
Parent Coaching offered by Pathways to Co-Parenting focus on reducing parental conflict in order to enhance children's emotional functioning and to facilitate successful parenting plans. Parent Coaching is defined as an impartial third party contracted on a voluntary basis by both parents to assist parents in resolving issues relating to parenting and other family issues arising from an order in legal dispute affecting the parent-child relationship.