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Resources

Families Change

FamiliesChange.ca is an acclaimed online resource that provides age-appropriate information for Parents, Teens, and Kids who are going through a family break up. The site includes animation, text, videos, activities, worksheets, tips and an online game to help families and youth better cope with separation or divorce.

The site is also available in French.

Family Law in BC 

The Family Law in BC website, produced by Legal Services Society, is the most popular source of information in BC on family law.

The site included hundreds of page of helpful information that cover: abuse, adoption, child protection/removal, common-law relationships, custody & access, divorce & separation, child support, and spousal support.

The site includes these go-to family resources:

Dial-A-Law: Family

Dial-A-Law is a library of legal information prepared by lawyers. It offers general information on multiple legal topics including family law in British Columbia.

It is a free service that is available in English, Chinese and Punjabi. Users can call to hear the information (1-800-565-5297) or read the text online.

JP Boyd on Family 

For over a decade British Columbians have used John-Paul Boyd's BC Family Law Resource website as their go-to site for current family law information. John-Paul talks like an ordinary person. He assumes that you don’t know about legal terms and court processes. He explains things simply and provides tips on how to do things.

Published as a Clicklaw Wikibook, the resource includes these chapters:

MyLawBC

MyLawBC.com is a new website from Legal Services Society. It provides a guided pathway approach to access information on family law and other issues.

To start, you can make a separation plan to find out what your options are for working through your family law matters. You can work through the site on your own, or you and your former spouse can use the “Dialogue Tool” to negotiate online, rather than face to face.

You can also find out what to do if you've been served with court documents.

Continuing Legal Education (CLE)

The Continuing Legal Education Society of BC (CLE) sells a wide range of publications on legal issues including family law, written for lawyers. They are often legal technical and can be difficult to understand for non-lawyers. They do however provide a comprehensive guide and can help you with more complex issues once you have an understanding of the basics.

Supreme Court

A great resource for learning more about Supreme Court is the supreme court of BC website. It has information about court forms, rules, fees and family law resources.

Court Tips for Parents

Parents in Supreme Court regarding a child support order must be properly prepared to present their cases. SupremeCourtBC.ca features seven instructional videos on this area of family law, including Presenting Your Case in Chambers, Avoiding the Pitfalls in Family Matters and What to Expect the Day of the Hearing.

Provincial Court

To learn more about how family cases in Provincial Court work visit the Provincial Court of BC website. Here you can find information on laws, court forms, rules, fees and family court resources.

Canadian Legal Information Institute (CANLII)

A site that allows users to search for Canadian federal and provincial legislation, case law, and some other decisions (for example, from tribunals).

My Support Calculator

An online resource that helps to calculate how child support and spousal support is divided between you and your former spouse. In general the amounts calculated are similar to how the courts would assign support but may vary depending on your situation.

Family Justice BC

The BC Ministry of Justice provides a range of services to support families in BC. The Family Justice BC website provides general information about family law in British Columbia.

It has information for people considering changes in their family relationships, such as separation and divorce, and may be of interest to people thinking of marrying or living with someone in a marriage-like relationship.

Parenting After Separation

Parenting After Separation 

Parenting after separation courses are free online courses that help parents make careful and informed decisions about their separation which ensures decisions are in the best interests of their children. The courses help parents and other family members who are dealing with family issues including guardianship, parenting arrangements, contact, child support and spousal support.

Parenting After Separation: Finances Workshops

For more information on managing your finances see Parenting After Separation: Finances. It is a free online course that provides information and strategies about dealing with finances to separated parents.

People's Law School

The People’s Law School provides legal information on a variety of topics, including family law, in plain language. Also offers free lunch time seminars on a range of legal content at their downtown Vancouver location. Check on their website for details on upcoming seminars.

Family Mediation

Mediation is a practical, affordable and confidential process to address conflicts within a family. In mediation, both sides try to resolve their differences with the help of a neutral mediator.

Family Justice Counsellors

Family Justice Counsellors (FJCs) are professionally trained family mediators, accredited by the BC Ministry of Justice and certified by Famliy Mediation Canada.

Justice Access Centres

The justice access centres are the place to come when you need help with family and civil law issues that affect your everyday life, such as separation or divorce, income security, employment, housing or debt. We have the information and services you need to find solutions to your problems. There are justice access centres in Nanaimo, Vancouver, and Victoria.

Family Duty Counsel

Family Duty Counsel are lawyers paid by the Legal Services Society (Legal Aid) for up to three hours of free advice to help with family law issues. They provide service directly from offices and work stations in courthouses throughout the provinces.
Call Legal Aid: 604-408-2172 (Greater Vancouver) | 1-866-577-2525 (free in BC) or visit the Legal Services Society website.

To find Family Duty Counsel in Provincial courts, visit Clicklaw and use the map to find the court closest to you.

Lawyer Referral

Lawyer Referral Services enables the public to access lawyers practicing in the field of law required for the particular situation and provides the opportunity to have a consultation with a lawyer for a fee. Phone: (604) 687-3221 or toll free 1-800-663-1919.

Parenting Coordinators

If you already have an agreement or order regarding children but are having disagreements about implementing them, a parenting coordinator can help. Parenting coordinators are professionals who can help you resolve day-to-day conflicts about parenting agreements or parenting orders.

Arbitrators

A family law arbitrator will make binding decisions to resolve family law issues out of court. Sometimes arbitrators will use a combination of arbitration and collaborative processes to help you come to your own agreement.

Access Pro Bono

The Society promotes access to justice in BC by providing and fostering quality pro bono legal services. Volunteer lawyers provide free legal assistance for those who cannot afford legal services. Lawyers do not represent clients in court but do give legal advice and help clients prepare for court appearances. In Vancouver call 604.878.7400, call toll free 1.877.762.6664.

Courthouse Libraries

Courthouse Libraries BC provide in person and online legal information to the public at locations throughout BC. Librarians provide reference assistance, but do not provide legal advice. Visit your nearest location.

 

Collaborative Divorce

Collaborative law is a process, where you, your former spouse, and your lawyers make a formal commitment to resolve the dispute without going to court and agree to be open and honest. See Collaborative Divorce Vancouver (Lower Mainland) The Collaborative Association (Lower Mainland) BC Collaborative Roster Society (Lower Mainland and Victoria)

Family Maintenance Enforcement Program

The Family Maintenance Enforcement Program (FMEP) is a free service of the British Columbia Ministry of Justice. It collects over $200 million each year for 45,000 BC families.

FMEP is a free service of the BC Ministry of Justice. The program helps families and children entitled to support under a maintenance order or agreement. Child support orders and agreements, as well as spousal support orders and agreements are enforced through the program.

 

 

 

Ask JES

Ask JES is an online chat service provided by the Justice Education Society in partnership with LSLAP. You can ask questions about family law and receive instant responses when Chat is live (weekdays from 11am to 2pm). During offline hours, users can submit their question plus their email address to receive an answer.

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