Who We Are

Better outcomes. Brighter futures.

Children, youth, and families involved in the justice system are at a major turning point on their lives. London Family Court Clinic follows children, youth and their families connected to the justice system through their journey—giving them the tools they need to build their resiliency—helping them to move forward and realize better outcomes once beyond the justice system.

We are advocates.

We strive to push the justice system to be more sensitive and responsive to children, youth and their families.

Another major focus of our work is assisting children, youth and their families who are at risk of being in the justice system to find solutions, because the best outcomes are the ones that don’t involve going to court.

We acknowledge that no one organization can solve all the challenges of children, youth, and families. The broader solution rests in developing caring communities that work together to support and inspire one another in their life’s journey. We’re creating and nurturing caring communities through the work we do because caring communities are inclusive, safe, engaged, and strive to improve the wellbeing of one another.

London Family Court Clinic is a registered charity and non-profit organization in London, Ontario, Canada that is funded through the Ministry of Children Community and Social Services, Ministry of Health, Department of Justice Canada, Ministry of the Attorney General, research & project grants, and charitable donations.

Since 1974.

London Family Court Clinic has had a long and successful history. In the early 1970s, his honour Judge Maurice H. Genest proposed the idea of establishing a family court in London, modeled after the one in Toronto, and began work with the assistance of a team of local professionals. Dr. Naomi Rae-Grant propelled the team to its next milestone after securing support and funding from the Ministry of Health.

As Judge Genest continues the story: “a modest complement of staff was hired, a volunteer board of directors was established, and in 1974 the London Family Court Clinic was started.”

Later on after that, a change was made. London Family Court Clinic was now the “Centre for Children & Families in the Justice System” —a suitable name, descriptive of our focus and for where the agency was heading, that we could take into the future as LFCC kept expanding. But in 2014, the agency adopted its original name—the name that carried our reputation as a leader in the field—and has remained London Family Court Clinic to this day.

What was once two people conducting “pre-disposition assessments” in the juvenile court turned into the multi-faceted agency we have today that serves and advocates for children and youth in Ontario.

We keep going.

The agency serves thousands of families a year across all of our services and programs in cooperation with our community partners. London Family Court Clinic continues to be a leader in youth justice interventions, research, and clinical education.

Today, we keep our focus on innovation—finding creative and practical solutions to present and emerging community challenges. In 2022, London Family Court Clinic proudly introduced Navigating Onward—a new division established to house and grow fee-for-service, clinical training, and education—that’s addressing the demand for mental health services and professionals across Ontario, and Beacon House Child & Youth Advocacy Centre—a safe space for child victims of abuse and their families in partnership with London Police Service, Children’s Aid Society of London & Middlesex, and St. Joseph’s Healthcare London.

Our Leadership

Well-rounded individuals and volunteers combined with the focus of clinical and service excellence and advocacy are helping to drive London Family Court Clinic forward.

Meet our team

Accountability

We’re committed to accountability through transparency. Each year, we publish our annual general report and financial statements here that outlines our fiscal position, funding, expenses, and a detailed summary of our service statistics.

See our latest Annual Reports