Research

Nidus is in a unique position to support research on personal planning and in particular the study of Representation Agreements as a legal model for supported decision making.

Nidus is the expert practitioner for the Representation Agreement Act – British Columbia’s first authentic legal tool for personal planning – the outcome of the grass-roots initiated law reform of adult guardianship.

Nidus serves as a hub for collecting and sharing people’s experiences, which makes it a living lab and rich resource for researchers and policy makers.

As Nidus was established by citizens and community groups involved in the law reform, Nidus’ expertise extends from the theoretical to real-life application. Nidus is a repository for the knowledge about the intent of the law reform, the development of the legal framework and the practice of the legislation.

The following reports present the first analysis of Representation Agreements in action. This is just the beginning of realizing the potential of our vibrant living lab.

Representation Agreements in Action!

Who is making Representation Agreements? Who are people naming as their representatives? Do people name alternates? When do they appoint a monitor? Is the intent of the law reform carried out in practice?

Find the answers to these questions in this research report, which presents the findings from a quantitative analysis of nearly 1,000 Representation Agreements made and registered between January 2006 and June 2009. These Representation Agreements were made by adults who already needed help with decision making and by adults who wanted to plan for the future.

Experiences of Adults with FASD Making and Using Representation Agreements

This research report presents findings from interviews with personal supporters who assisted adults with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) to make and use Representation Agreements as a tool for supported decision making.

This study was part of a Nidus project funded by the Victoria Foundation. Thanks to Dr. Deborah Rutman who was the researcher for this project.

Planning for the Future – Coming soon.

This report presents findings from a quantitative analysis of legal personal planning documents made and registered by over 800 adults who attended a Legal Clinic organized by Nidus between November 2003 and December 2008. Every adult who participated in a Legal Clinic made a Representation Agreement with Section 9 broader powers and had the option of making an Enduring Power of Attorney.