Difference between revisions of "My Partner Is Abusing Me and My Kids"

{{Template:Legal Help Guide TOC}}Both the criminal law process and family law process can be used to deal with relationship violence and abuse. There are also a number of services in most BC communities, such as transition houses, victim assistance programs and counselling services, to help victims of violence.

# Make sure that you and your children are safe. This may mean leaving the family home for awhile and staying with friends or staying in a transition house. (Look in the Yellow pages under "Crisis Centres" or call [[VictimLink]], listed in the Resource Guide in Part 2. The local police station can also give you information about transition houses and other victim services.)

# If the abuse involves physical or sexual violence, consider reporting it to the police. Staff at local transition houses and victim services groups can support you in doing this.

# If you have been in a relationship with the abuser, you or your lawyer can make an application to the Family Court or BC Supreme Court for an order preventing or limiting the abuser from having contact with you or your children. You can take this step instead of or in addition to reporting the abuse to the police. If you are acting on your own, follow the process described above under the heading, "[[I just separated from the other parent of my children]]".

===Criminal Court===