Legal Resources

Short answers to common questions about separation and divorce, children, abuse and family violence, finances and support, and the BC legal system.

Provides brief description about mediation, family group conferencing, and cultural/traditional decision-making. These are alternatives to court for planning and making decisions about child welfare. Links to relevant information sheets are also available.

The legal rights of children vary from those of adults. Learn the rights of children in several contexts, and situations where their views are considered in decisions that affect them.

Information for parents, guardians, relatives of children, and children and teens about child rights, parenting and contact arrangements, child protection, and adoption.

The Federal Child Support Tables were updated in 2017 to reflect more recent tax rules. The updated tables came into effect on November 22, 2017. Both 2011 and 2017 tables are provided here.

This fact sheet provides general information about child support under the Divorce Act. Includes information about calculating child support, the difference between Federal Guidelines and provincial guidelines, and paying and ending child support.

Parents have a legal duty to support their children, even if one parent doesn’t see or take care of the children. Learn about child support and how to get it.

Sometimes people responsible for a child disagree with the Ministry of Children and Family Development or Aboriginal child and family service agency about a child’s safety. Child protection mediation is a way to make a plan for a child’s safety with the help of an impartial person called a mediator.

If someone reports that a child has been abused (or is likely to be), it starts a legal process designed to keep the child safe. Learn about child protection law.

Describes what can happen if the ministry thinks your child’s safety is at risk, including your responsibilities and rights as a parent, how you can be involved in making decisions for your child’s future, and how to avoid having to go to court.