Separation, parenting and child support in British Columbia: free help and enforcement

Where to get free help with parenting and child support after separation in British Columbia, and how support orders are enforced, from the official pages.

Free help and support enforcement

Family Justice Centres and Justice Access Centres give free help with parenting, guardianship, child support and spousal support, in person, by phone or by video; Family Justice Counsellors (1-844-747-3963) assess needs and run mediation, and Child Support Officers help work out guideline amounts. Free online Parenting After Separation courses (about 3 hours) may be required in Provincial Court family cases. The BC Family Maintenance Agency runs the Family Maintenance Enforcement Program (free for eligible families); Maintenance Enforcement and Locate Services also offers locate and recalculation services.

Official page ↗

Married parents who divorce are also covered by the federal Divorce Act and federal Child Support Guidelines; unmarried or separated parents use provincial or territorial law. Enforcement programs collect support under an existing order or filed agreement: they do not change it or give legal advice. If there is violence, see our family violence page first. Rules, fees and programs change and were read on 2026-11-14: confirm with the official source. General information, not legal advice. Quebec follows its own rules: see atlasquebec.ca.

Guides for this province