These resources are organized to help you find what feels most relevant to your situation. Whether you’re navigating separation, supporting a child, seeking legal information, or mental-health support.
Supportive Resources
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Legal Aid BC: provides parents, generally of modest means who need a protection order, are at high-risk for violence, or are threatened with child abduction.
The Law Centre: University of Victoria Faculty of Law provides advice, assistance and representation to clients who cannot afford a lawyer.
Access Pro-Bono: Lawyer Referral Service/Access Pro Bono Society of British Columbia- 30-minutes of free legal advice, no court representation.
Law Students' Legal Advice Program (LSLAP): School of Law at the University of British Columbia provides free legal advice and representation to clients in the Lower Mainland who would otherwise be unable to afford legal assistance.
Justice Education Society: Justice Education Society of BC provides free legal education and resources to help people understand their rights, access justice, and improve how justice systems serve everyone.
Private Lawyers within your region
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Mediation: Mediation is a private, confidential way to resolve disputes with the support of an impartial facilitator. Unlike court, the people involved decide the outcome, often through an interest-based process that focuses on underlying needs and solutions. While flexible and collaborative, mediation isn’t suitable in every situation, especially where safety or family violence is a concern.
Negotiation: Negotiation is the most flexible form of dispute resolution, where parties work out an agreement themselves or through their lawyers. It allows for creative, mutually satisfactory outcomes, but without an impartial third party, power imbalances or unclear issues can sometimes prevent agreement.
Parent Coordination: Parenting coordination is a process where a neutral professional helps parents resolve day-to-day parenting conflicts and, when needed, can make binding decisions. It is designed to reduce ongoing conflict and limit court involvement, but can only be used once a legal parenting arrangement is already in place. Parenting coordinators support families in implementing existing agreements or orders—not changing them.
Arbitration (binding or non-binding): Arbitration is a private process where, if parents cannot agree, a neutral arbitrator hears both perspectives and makes a binding decision. It can reduce delays, costs, and adversarial conflict while preserving privacy, and may also reflect shared values in faith-based contexts. However, parties must agree in advance whether the decision will be binding, and enforceability can sometimes be a concern.
Court System: Sometimes court is the best or only option—particularly in cases involving family violence, urgent safety concerns, or when one party refuses to cooperate in another process. Court provides enforceable decisions on legal rights and responsibilities, though it can be more costly, time-consuming, and adversarial. It ensures a clear, binding resolution when other dispute resolution methods are not appropriate or effective.
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Written in plain language, JP Boyd on Family Law provides practical, in-depth coverage of family law and divorce law in British Columbia.
Resource for Legal Information
Website that provides clear, compassionate guidance to help families find their way forward with hope and confidence
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A simple calculator to help Canadians estimate spouse or child support payments
Child & Spousal Support, Including Interjurisdictional Support
Helps people in BC get or change child or spousal support orders, providing the right forms, guides, and legal process under the Interjurisdictional Support Orders Act and Divorce Act.
The Family Maintenance Enforcement Program (FMEP) is a free B.C. government service that monitors and enforces court-ordered child and spousal support payments
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Mental Health, Addictions, Reunification, Co-Parenting, Separation/Divorce & Relationship Counselling:
Separation and divorce are sad times for parents and children. Sometimes interventions such as counselling and therapy are required, especially when difficulty coping severely impacts a person's ability to function on a day-to-day basis.
Some parents who seek help want to save their relationship. In some instances, they just need help to get through a difficult period. This should always be explored with anyone who is coming for information. After all, our goal is not to encourage family breakup but to support parents and children.
Most often, however, at least one partner has already come to a decision to end the relationship. The other may feel blindsided by this decision. As with any grieving process, that person needs time to work through the devastating news.
When relationships are estranged, reunification therapy can support healing, rebuild connection and trust.
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Not only are parents in need of help during separation, but children are also affected. Many parents get so absorbed in what they view as adult matters that they may not realize their children are very aware and reacting to what is happening.
One can expect that children will react negatively to their parent's separation since most children want their parents to stay together. However, if this negative reaction is prolonged (for example, over three months) then one needs to seriously consider getting help for the child. A referral is appropriate when parents relate that their child is experiencing a number of the following symptoms (including but not limited to):
extended periods of depression, loss of interest in everyday activities, inability to sleep, loss of appetite, prolonged fear of being alone, sharp drop in school performance or refusal to attend school, excessive worrying, acting out behaviour and unresolved anger
If the child shows these or other signs of ongoing distress, a family doctor may recommend counselling, or refer the child to a psychologist/psychiatrist for evaluation and treatment. Some good programs offered in various communities are:
Children Who Witness Abuse
Alive Counselling
Rainbows
Information Children
Sandcastles Program
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Family Justice Centres & Justice Access Centres:Services offered in these centres include legal information, help with establishing and changing orders and agreements through mediation and facilitated negotiation, referrals to community resources, help with court forms and processes, etc. Services can be accessed in person and virtually (by phone and video conferencing).
Relationship Violence Services:There are many services available for families where relationship abuse is present. They include legal advice, transition homes, support groups, and counselling for both children and for adults. The B.C. government has a zero-tolerance policy and seeks to prosecute whenever violence occurs in intimate relationships. This policy is called the 'Violence Against Women in Relationships Policy'.
Support services:
Battered Women's Support Services Support(counselling and practical assistance for women)
Child & Young Adult Violence: Many resources are available for victims of violence, many listed in the link below.
Other resources are the family physician, the police, and the Ministry of Children and Family Development.
Family Support Programs within the Lower Mainland, BC:
Newcomers to Canada:MOSAIC helps newcomers (immigrants and refugees) settle in BC by offering support in a variety of ways
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Clients often benefit from the work of John Gottman - go here to learn more about this man's pioneering work on marriage, families and communication.
Leading resources on navigating high-conflict dynamics and shifting into amicability.
Parenting After Separation Course
A free online 3-4 hour course for parents/family navigating separation or divorce — covering parenting time, child support, co-parenting, domestic violence, and going to court.
Sandcastles Course for Children
The Sandcastles Program is a 3.5hour, onetime group session for children of divorce between the ages of six and seventeen
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Vancouver and Lower Mainland Multicultural Family Support Services Society
DIVERSEcity Community Resources Society
Multilingual Info/Support Line
SUCCESS (Chinese Community)
Persian Settlement (Iranian Community)
Immigrant Services Society provides services for landed immigrants and refugees
MOSAIC offers a number of valuable services to families new to Canada including interpretive services
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This resource highlights unique family law issues Aboriginal people may face, including cultural concerns and the Indian Act.
Learn about the Hague Convention on international child abduction and custody disputes.
For those representing themselves in court