Helpful Information on Child Protection in BC
From Clicklaw Wikibooks
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This page from JP Boyd on Family Law and others highlighted in orange explain trial procedure and litigation in BC family law. They are under editorial review to provide more thorough, current, and practical guidance. Since 2020, procedures, forms, and laws have changed significantly. While gross inaccuracies have been corrected, some details may still be outdated. These pages were not included in the 2024 print edition. |
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[edit]
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Mediate BC | Mediators are impartial and have no decision-making powers. The mediator’s roles include:
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Mediate BC Society Family Mediation Services |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
Getting Legal Advice[edit]
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
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| 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 |
| 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.
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