MAKING MATTERS WORSE: AN ANALYSIS OF PARAGRAPH 22(2)(I) OF THE CHILD AND FAMILY SERVICES ACT.

The 2017 amendments to Nova Scotia's Child and Family Services Act were made with the purported purpose of better protection of children. This paper assesses the amendments to paragraph 22(2)(i) and the addition of subsection 24(2) to the Act that changed the law in relation to children who are exposed to intimate partner violence. This paper argues that the amendments have had a negative effect on children and their families, resulting in an increase of children in temporary care since 2017. The paper concludes that intimate partner violence would be better addressed by placing domestic violence considerations in the best interests of the child analysis as well as increasing funding and expanding services for families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]