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Resources
If you have a family law or child protection issue, you may qualify for help from family duty counsel (FDC) or a family advice lawyer, even if you do not qualify for a legal aid lawyer.
Free legal services available for British Columbiansn of all income levels.
Family justice counsellors (FJCs) work in Family Justice Centres and Justice Access Centres throughout British Columbia. They provide services to people going through separation and divorce.
The BC Family Maintenance Agency (BCFMA) helps families and children with an order or agreement get the support (child support and spousal support) they are entitled to.
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.
With unbundled legal services, your legal matter is broken down into parts. You choose which parts a lawyer helps with, and which parts you will do yourself. You get professional assistance where you need it most — at a cost you can afford.
VictimLinkBC is a toll-free 24/7 information and support line that provides information and referrals to all victims of crime, and crisis support to victims of family and sexual violence, including sexual assault, violence in relationships, elder abuse, and adult survivors of physical or sexual abuse. VictimLinkBC can provide information on: Transition and Safe Homes, Second-stage Houses, Outreach Services, Stopping the Violence Counselling and more. Service available in 110 languages, including 17 North American Aboriginal languages. Phone: toll free 1-800-563-0808, 24 hours every day
A Ministry of Justice website containing information and forms/instructions to get or change support orders when either the recipient or the payor lives outside BC.
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 and tips to help families and youth better cope with separation or divorce.
The site is also available in French.
The Family Law in BC website 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.
Dial-A-Law is a service of the People’s Law School library of legal information prepared by lawyers. It offers general information on multiple legal topics including family law in British Columbia.
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.
The People’s Law School provides legal information on a variety of topics, including family law, in plain language.
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.
A great resource for learning more about the Supreme Court. It has information about court forms, rules, fees and family law resources.
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.
A site that allows users to search for Canadian federal and provincial legislation, case law, and some other decisions (for example, from tribunals).
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.
Government of Canada publications and guidebooks to help families.
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 for Indigenous Families or Parenting After Separation (in Punjabi and English)
Parenting After Separation courses are free online courses for B.C. parents and other family members who are dealing with separation or divorce and facing decisions about guardianship, parenting arrangements, contact, child support and spousal support.
Parenting After Separation helps:
- Parents make careful and informed decisions about their separation and strategies for dealing with any conflicts that may result from it
- Ensure decisions are in the best interests of their children
