Helpful Information on Child Protection in BC

Child Protection in BC from People's Law School is no longer available. For updated coverage of this topic, see Dial-A-Law's page on child protection and removal.

Where to get help

Comprehensive Child Support Service	If you live in the Kelowna, Nanaimo, Vancouver or Surrey areas and need to find out more about child support, and obtaining or changing a child support order or agreement, the new Child Support Officer can help. Child Support Officers help you understand the child support guidelines and calculate what you are entitled to receive or must pay under those guidelines.	Kelowna: 250.712.3636 Vancouver: 604.660.2084 Nanaimo: 250.741.5447 Surrey: 604.501.3100 Toll-free: 1.888.227.7734
Family Justice Counsellors	Family Justice Counsellors can mediate issues involving parenting arrangements, contact, child support and spousal support. Family Justice Counsellors don’t provide legal advice. They will refer you to legal services if you need them. Family Justice Counsellors can also make referrals to other sources of help.	Call Enquiry BC to find the nearest Family Justice Centre. Greater Vancouver: 604.660.2421 Greater Victoria: 250.387.6121 Elsewhere in BC: 1.800.663.7867
Family Maintenance Enforcement Program (FMEP)	FMEP is a government service that enforces orders and agreements for child support and spousal support. If necessary, staff will take action to try to ensure that the payor makes the required payments. To register with FMEP, you need an enrolment package. You can get the enrolment package at any Provincial Courthouse, Service BC Centres, Ministry of Social Development offices or FMEP at the central Enrolment Office.	Enrolment Office: Box 5100 Victoria, BC V8R 6N3 250.220.4040 Toll-free: 1.800.663.3455 www.fmep.gov.bc.ca
Mediate BC	Mediators are impartial and have no decision-making powers. The mediator’s roles include: helping the parties to define the issues in dispute providing a neutral and appropriate location for the mediation screening cases to ensure safety managing the mediation process and keeping the discussion on track helping the parties to communicate their interests clearly helping parties reach an agreement	Mediate BC Society Family Mediation Services Lower Mainland: 604.684.1300 local 23 Toll-Free: 1.877.656.1300 fms@mediatebc.com www.mediatebc.com
Ministry of Children and Families Development of BC	The Ministry provides programs and services to ensure that healthy children and responsible families are living in safe, caring and inclusive communities.	Victoria: 250.387.7027 Toll-Free: 1.877.387.7027 www.gov.bc.ca/mcf MCF.CorrCorrespondenceManagement@gov.bc.ca
Parenting After Separation Program	The Parenting After Separation Program is a free, three-hour information session that parents (and other family members, such as grandparents) may attend in person. You do not have to attend the same program session as the other parent. The Parenting After Separation Program is also available online.	www.familieschange.ca,br/> To find out more about Parenting After Separation, talk to a Family Justice Counsellor.
Parent Support Services Society of BC	The Parent Support Services Society runs parent support circles around the province for parents who want to fi nd ways to have better relationships with their children.	Lower Mainland: 604.669.1616 Victoria: 250.384.8042 Toll-Free: 1.877.345.9777 (9PSS) office@parentsupportbc.ca www.parentsupportbc.ca
PovNet	Check the PovNet website if you need to find an advocate who has experience with child protection cases. An advocate can provide support, help make sure you are listened to, give you information about your choices and your rights, and explain how the Ministry works.	www.povnet.org
VictimLink BC	VictimLink BC is a toll-free, confidential, multilingual telephone service available across BC and Yukon 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It provides information and referral services to all victims of crime and immediate crisis support to victims of family and sexual violence. VictimLink BC provides service in more than 110 languages, including 17 North American aboriginal languages.	Toll-Free: 1.800.563.0808 TTY: 604.875.0885 VictimLinkBC@bc211.ca ww.victimlinkbc.ca

Getting Legal Advice

Access Pro Bono Society of BC	Access Pro Bono volunteer lawyers provide free legal advice to persons who cannot obtain legal aid or afford a lawyer.	Lower Mainland: 604.878.7400 Toll-free: 1.877.762.6664 help@accessprobono.ca www.accessprobono.ca
JP Boyd’s BC Family Law Resource	This website offers a comprehensive survey of family law, divorce law and the court process in BC. It’s written in plain language, with handy pop-up definitions for legal words and phrases.	www.bcfamilylawresource.com Blog: ww.bcfamilylawresource.blogspot.ca
Lawyer Referral Service	The Lawyer Referral Service can give you the name of a family law lawyer near you who will give you a 30-minute consultation for $25.	Greater Vancouver: 604.687.3221 Toll-free: 1.800.663.1919
Legal Services Society of BC (Legal Aid) Family LawLINE Publications/Media Family Law in BC website Family Duty Counsels	If your legal problem is covered under the legal aid rules and you are financially eligible, the Legal Services Society of BC will appoint a lawyer for you if you apply. If you are a person with a low income experiencing a family law issue, you may be eligible for free legal advice from a family lawyer. Helpful booklets and an online self-help kits for people dealing with family law issues. Website contains detailed information about Family Law in BC. Lawyers available to help people with lower incomes with their family law problems.	Lower Mainland: 604.408.2172, Toll-Free: 1.866.577.2525 www.lss.bc.ca/legal_aid www.lss.bc.ca/legal_aid/FamilyLawLINE.php www.lss.bc.ca/publications www.familylaw.lss.bc.ca/default.asp www.familylaw.lss.bc.ca/help/who_FamilyDutyCounsel.php
Native Courtworkers and Counselling Association of BC	The Native Courtworkers and Counselling Association of British Columbia provides culturally appropriate services to aboriginal people and communities consistent with their needs. It includes advocacy for aboriginal families and youth, community outreach, training and workshops.	Lower Mainland: 604.985.5355 Toll-Free: 1.877.811.1190 nccabc@nccabc.net www.nccabc.ca

This information applies to British Columbia, Canada. Last reviewed for legal accuracy by People's Law School, 2014.

Child Protection in BC from People's Law School is no longer available. For updated coverage of this topic, see Dial-A-Law's page on child protection and removal.

Basics of Child Support in BC © People's Law School is, except for the images, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International Licence.

__NOGLOSSARY_

Money paid by one parent or guardian to another parent or guardian as a contribution toward the cost of a child's living and other expenses.

A mandatory direction of the court that is binding and enforceable upon the parties to a court proceeding. An "interim order" is a temporary order made following the hearing of an interim application. A "final order" is a permanent order, made following the trial of the court proceeding or the parties' settlement, following which the only recourse open to a dissatisfied party is to appeal. Failing to abide by the terms of an order may constitute contempt of court. See "appeal," "consent order," "contempt of court," "decision" and "declaration."

A term under the Family Law Act which describes the arrangements for parental responsibilities and parenting time among guardians, made in an order or agreement. "Parenting arrangements" does not include contact. See "contact," "guardian," "parental responsibilities" and "parenting time."

Under the Family Law Act, a term that describes the time a person who is not a guardian of a child, including a parent who is not a guardian, has with that child. Under the Divorce Act, a term that describes the time a person who is not a married spouse has with a child. See "guardian" and "parental responsibilities."

A payment made by one spouse to the other spouse to help with the recipient's day-to-day living expenses or to compensate the recipient for the financial choices the spouses made during the relationship.

In law, to formally deliver documents to a person in a manner that complies with the rules of court. Service may be ordinary (mailed or delivered to a litigant's address for service), personal (hand-delivered to a person), or substituted (performed in a way other than the rules normally require). See "address for delivery," "ordinary service," "personal service" and "substituted service."

A court proceeding in which one party sues another for a specific remedy or relief, also called a "lawsuit" or a "case." An action for divorce, for example, is a court proceeding in which the claimant sues the respondent for the relief of a divorce order.

In law, (1) a judge's conclusions after hearing argument and considering the evidence presented at a trial or an application, (2) a judgment, or (3) the judge's reasons. A judge's written or oral decision will include the judge's conclusions about the relief or remedies claimed as well as their findings of fact and conclusions of law. A written decision is called the judge’s "reasons for judgment." See "common law," "conclusions of law" and "findings of fact."

A dispute resolution process in which a specially-trained neutral person facilitates discussions between the parties to a legal dispute and helps them reach a compromise settling the dispute. See "alternative dispute resolution" and "family law mediator."

In family law, the natural or adoptive father or mother of a child; may also include stepparents, depending on the circumstances and the applicable legislation; may include the donors of eggs or sperm and surrogate mothers, depending on the circumstances and the terms of any assisted reproduction agreement. See "adoptive parent," "assisted reproduction," "natural parent" and "stepparent."

(1) A lawyer or a person other than a lawyer who helps clients with legal issues, or (2) to argue a position on behalf of someone.

A person who is younger than the legal age of majority, 19 in British Columbia. See "age of majority."

A person licensed to practice law in a particular jurisdiction by that jurisdiction's law society. See "barrister and solicitor."

The legal termination of a valid marriage by an order of a judge; the ending of a marital relationship and the conjugal obligations of each spouse to the other. See "conjugal rights," "marriage" and "marriage, validity of."

In law, in British Columbia a person under the age of 19.