You may need someone to explain paperwork, help with a parenting plan or respond to a safety concern. Canada’s family justice services vary by province and territory. Start with the job you need help doing, then find the service that handles it locally.
Canada · Checked 17 September 2026
Family justice information and resource centres provide information about local family law and court procedure. They may explain forms and refer you to other services. They generally do not give personal legal advice.
For advice about what an order means for you or which application is appropriate, ask about a lawyer, legal aid or a focused consultation. Bring the document and describe the specific question.
A mediator is a neutral professional who helps people discuss disputed issues. The mediator does not take sides, replace either person’s lawyer or decide the outcome.
In collaborative law, each person has a lawyer who helps negotiate an agreement. The process has particular terms about those lawyers not representing the parties if it ends in court. Ask how it works before choosing it.
Arbitration is different again: an agreed independent decision-maker decides the dispute. It is available for some family matters in some provinces or territories, under local rules. Do not assume every service called dispute resolution does the same thing.
Local services may include counselling, parent education, children’s programs or professionally supervised contact. Availability and eligibility vary.
Supervised parenting time means someone oversees the parent’s time with the child. A supervised exchange helps manage the handover. Ask whether the service you need requires an order, referral, fee or agreement from both parents.
Tell the service about threats, intimidation or coercive control before agreeing to joint meetings. The Divorce Act recognises that out-of-court resolution may be inappropriate where there is family violence.
For an immediate threat, contact emergency services. A concern about child abuse or neglect belongs with the appropriate local child-protection service, not solely with a mediator. Describe what happened and the child’s current situation.
A support calculation or recalculation service may help with eligible cases. A maintenance enforcement program deals with collecting qualifying support obligations. Neither should be confused with a parenting-time service.
If your issue is an unpaid amount, bring the order or written agreement and payment record. If you need the amount changed, ask specifically about the variation or recalculation process.
This guide explains general rules and services. It does not assess your individual case.
Information checked on 17 September 2026.
Based on the original article by Elisabeth Scholander.
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Canada
Law
Who chooses the school? Who can agree to treatment? Who handles the ordinary decisions during a child’s stay? In Canada, the answers depend on the applicable law and your parenting arrangement. The federal Divorce Act separates major decisions from day-to-day care.
Canada
Law
A parenting plan works best when it explains the child’s ordinary week as well as holidays. In Canada, families use agreements and court orders to set out care after separation. The details should fit the child’s needs, safety and practical circumstances.
Canada
Law
A parenting decision should fit the child in front of the court. Under Canada’s Divorce Act, the child’s best interests are the only basis for a parenting decision, with their safety, security and well-being given primary consideration.
Research
Psychologist Maria Farm and journalist Lisa Bjärbo wrote a Swedish-language book about everyday life after separation. In this interview, they explain why they wanted to discuss the questions that keep returning as children grow, from money to routines and new family relationships.
For Children
Living in two homes can feel good sometimes and difficult at other times. You might enjoy time with each parent and still hate packing. You do not have to choose one feeling, and you do not have to make the arrangement work on your own.
Research
The Swedish term växelvis boende describes a child living alternately in each parent’s home. One useful idea in the original discussion by child psychologist Malin Bergström is to look beyond visits: what ordinary care and relationships does the child need to keep?
