Introduction

1.1 Purpose of the Evaluation

Purpose of the Evaluation

This report presents the results of the evaluation of the Canadian Family Justice Fund (hereinafter referred to as “CFJF” and the “Fund”). The evaluation was conducted in accordance with the Treasury Board’s Policy on Results (2016)Footnote2, which requires departments to measure and evaluate performance and use the resulting information to manage and improve programs, policies, and services. The evaluation was undertaken by the Department of Justice Canada’s (Justice Canada) Evaluation Branch between November 2021 and October 2022, as per Justice Canada’s Internal Audit and Evaluation Plan.

1.2 Evaluation Scope

The objective of the evaluation was to examine the relevance, effectiveness, and efficiency of the Canadian Family Justice Fund. The evaluation covers the period from 2018-19 to 2021-22. The evaluation included the work of Justice Canada with respect to the Federal Support for Family Justice focussing on the core activity of program development and delivery through the CFJF. Although there is also a policy component to the Federal Support for Family Justice, the current evaluation focused solely on the contributions component of the program (i.e., the CFJF). A future evaluation, planned for 2025-26 will examine both the policy and contributions components of the Federal Support for Family Justice. 

As per the Treasury Board’s Policy on Results, the evaluation included an assessment of the extent to which Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) was considered in the planning and delivery of services as well as identified barriers to access to services and how they were addressed.

The scope and conduct of the evaluation were informed by an Evaluation Working Group which included senior managers in Justice Canada from the Innovations, Analysis, and Integration Directorate within the Programs Branch, the Family Law and Youth Justice Policy Section, and Research and Statistics Division.