COVID-19:
For current COVID-19 information, see LegalHelpBC.ca
If you have a COVID-19 question,Ask JES
COVID-19:
For current COVID-19 information, see LegalHelpBC.ca
If you have a COVID-19 question,Ask JES
Now we will summarize what you learned by watching the Family Justice Counsellor’s video.
Family Justice Counsellors – FJCs – are trained family mediators, accredited by the Province of British Columbia and certified by a Family Mediation Canada. In many offices, there are designated family justice counsellors who are trained to interview children in order to bring their views into the mediation, with the consent of the parents and children.
A Family Justice Counsellors can assist their clients with issues related to guardianship, parental responsibilities, parenting time, contact, child support, and spousal support. They can work with you at any time during the separation process, regardless of whether you are currently in court or not. If you are able to work out a written agreement with the help of a Family Justice Counsellor, that agreement becomes enforceable when filed with the court.
The role of the Family Justice Counsellor includes:
Mediation by a Family Justice Counsellor:
Sometimes mediation is not appropriate because one person feels unsafe with the other person or there is a history of abuse in the relationship that makes it unsafe to meet together. In these cases, family justice counselors may still be able to help by meeting with each parent separately to work out an agreement or to provide referrals to legal and community resources.
Seeing a lawyer for independent legal advice is always recommended before you sign any agreement or legal document. To learn more about getting legal help, read the Parenting After Separation Handbook and see the Resources section.
Family Justice Counsellors help parents understand the rules regarding child support. Children have the right to be supported by both parents. The Canadian Department of Justice has created Child Support Guidelines. These provide a national standard for providing financial support to children of separated and divorced parents. Child Support Guideline calculations are based on:
The Child Support Guidelines provides a calculator to determine child support, but parents also need to consider special expenses – like school field trips or new health care costs. Parents need to agree on how these expenses will be covered. To learn more about Child Support, read the Parenting After Separation Handbook and see the Resources section.
In the next section, there is an exercise that will help you understand more about how a Family Justice Counsellor could assist your family.