== First steps ==
# Decide if the situation you are facing is one that can be safely and fairly resolved without involving lawyers and the courts. If the other party has dominated, harassed or abused you or your children or has denied you the custody or access to children that you are entitled to, it may be tough to resolve your problems fairly without going to court.
# Speak with a lawyer, advocate or family counsellor for advice on whether your problem is one that can probably be resolved out of court.
The 4 main services for people with low incomes who want to resolve family problems outside of court are Family Justice Counsellors, Family Advice Lawyers, the Family LawLine and Family Mediators.
a) #'''Family Justice Counsellors''' If you are dealing with an issue such as child custody, access, guardianship, and child and spousal maintenance, you can contact a Family Justice Centre and make an appointment to speak with a Family Justice Counsellor. Family Justice Counsellors can provide information and referrals, provide mediation and conciliation services and assist with writing separation agreements and filing documents in provincial family court. Family Justice Centres in Vancouver, Surrey, Nanaimo and Kelowna have specialists in child support called Child Support Officers. You can ask your Family Justice Counsellor if a Child Support Officer can be involved in your case.(Remember that Family Justice Counsellors cannot assist with divorce or division of family assets). b) #'''Family Advice Lawyers''' The Legal Services Society provides Family Advice Lawyers who can provide parents with low incomes legal advice about the full range of family law issues. These lawyers can been consulted by appointment at the Justice Access Centres in Vancouver and Nanaimo, by drop-in to the courthouse at Port Alberni or by referral from a Family Justice Counsellor to the Family Justice Centre in Kelowna. c) # '''Family LawLINE''' If you are a person with a low income and a family law problem, you may be eligible for brief free over-the-phone "next step" advice about family law issues such as custody, access, guardianship, child support, spousal support, property division, family agreements, adoption, and court procedures. To see if you can speak with a LawLINE lawyer, contact the Legal Services Provincial Call Centre at 604-408-2172 (Greater Vancouver) or 1-866-577-2525 (no charge elsewhere in BC) between 9:30 am and noon on weekdays. d) # '''Family Mediators''' Other than Family Justice Counsellors (see above), most family mediators are professionals in private practice who assist couples in trying to resolve their family issues by agreement. They almost always charge for their services. You can find a list of mediators in your area in the Yellow pages, the Mediate BC website (mediatebc.com. Click on the “Directory of Family Mediators” link.) or the Family Mediation Canada website (fmc.ca. Click on the “Find a Mediator” link).
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== What happens next? ==
a-b) # '''Family Justice Counsellors and Family Mediators''' A Family Justice Counsellor or Family Mediator will meet with you and discuss your options. They will contact your ex to see if he or she agrees to resolve your issues out of court. If so, the counsellor or mediator will communicate with both of you separately or together to help you reach an agreement. If not, a Family Justice Counsellor may assist you in preparing court documents or refer you to a lawyer or an advocate. Family Mediators may assist in drafting agreements, but are unlikely to assist you with other court documents.
c-d) # '''Family LawLINE and Family Advice Lawyers ''' The Family LawLINE and Family Advice Lawyers can give you advice about how you can proceed with your case and may refer you to other services, but will not represent you in court or mediations. LawLINE services are provided through brief phone calls. Family Advice Lawyers can spend up to 3 hours on your case.
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