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Parenting After Separation Course: required course for parents who are getting divorced in Alberta. A completion certificate must be filed with the court.
Parenting After Separation High Conflict Course: recommended course for parents going through conflict and looking to improve communication skills.
Triple P Parenting Course: recommended course for parents being questioned about their parenting abilities, if Child and Family services is involved in your dispute, or for parents charged with a criminal offence.
The following apps can help create schedules, reduce tense communication, resolve disputes, and can even be used in court. Some of these apps are:
Soberlink Remote Alcohol Monitoring - can help alleviate concerns of excessive alcohol consumption during parenting time.
If communication continues to be an ongoing issues, you may want to consider reaching out to a Parenting Coordinator. This is often a psychologist who can help Parents learn to communicate with one another post-separation.
Consent to Travel Letter is required for Children to travel abroad without one or both of their parents. The letter confirms traveling dates, destination, and identity and contact information. This letter is required regardless of whether the Parents are together or separated.
LRCY - Office of the Child Youth Advocate: provides lawyers for young persons in Child & Family Services matters. A court order is not needed.
Legal Aid Alberta: provides lawyers for Children in High Conflict Separations and Divorces, after Court grants an Order appointing counsel for the Children. After the Order is issued a Parent will need to call and provide Legal Aid Alberta with the proper intake information.
MEP - Maintenance Enforcement Program - If you do not want contact with the other parent to exchange support payments or if you are concerned that the other parent may not pay their support payments, then you may want to register with MEP. MEP will enforce support orders and impose penalties and sanctions on delinquient payors.
MEP - Recalculation Program - Child Support should be recalculated annually as income changes. If you are eligible and register with the Recalculation Program, they will recalculate payable support annually, without the Parents needing to return to court to vary the current court order.
Federal Child Support Guidelines - The Guidelines were created to determine how much Payors should pay in child support based on their Guideline Income (Line 15000), number of children, and province of residence. The Government has published the guidelines, so Parents can be informed of the guideline amounts.
Section 7 Expenses - Parents have an obligation to proportionately share extraordinary expenses for the children, above and beyond regular child support. These expenses are things like child care, uninsured medical and dental expenses, and expenses for extra-curricular activites. The sharing of these expenses can also be enforced through MEP.
Eligible Dependents - In a shared parenting situation, former Partners may alternate annually or share who claims the child(ren) as their dependent, so as to maximize the tax return for the family.
Child Tax Benefits - Former Partners need to declare to CRA that they are engaged in a shared parenting situation. Once CRA knows that it is a shared parenting situation, they will give each parents half of the Child Tax Benefits they are individually eligible based on their respective incomes.
Support Payments - Some support payments may be considered income and need to be added or deducted from your income on your tax return. Please check with CRA and your accountant to check if this applies to you.
Splitting CPP Credits - The CPP Credits you and your partner earned during cohabitation might be shared upon Separation. Credit splitting may help you qualify for benefits and can affect the amount of CPP benefits for both you and your former partner.
Protection Orders - In many case of domestic and family violence, the victimized party may want an Order to protect their safety. If there is a history of family violence, an emergent circumstance, and a reasonable likelihood that the violence will continue or escalate, then an Emergency Protection Order may be appropriate. You can apply to a Justice of the Peace or a Justice in the Alberta Court of Justice. If an EPO is not appropriate, you may want to seek a Restraining Order to protect yourself from further violence.
Shelters - If your safety and/or the safety of your children is at risk, then you may want to look into the Shelter Options in your Area.
Rise Up Society - provides support and counselling to individuals struggling with the effects of intimate partner violence.
Changing Ways - Edmonton Violence Prevention Centre offers programs to help individuals curb abusive patterns and build relationships on equality and trust. There is also programming available for the partners of the abusive spouses.
There are various low cost/ free options for individuals who cannot afford to retain a lawyer. Each organization has their own eligibility guidelines based on household income and/or matter type:
Legal Aid Alberta - provides affordable legal representation for matters of family law, domestic violence, child welfare, immigration, and youth and adult criminal defence.
Edmonton Community Legal Centre - provides free legal advice, advocacy, information, referral, and help to individuals navigating a variety of legal matters. They will not attend Court for you, but can assist with forms and give legal advice.
Native Counseling Services - has Courtworkers to help Indigenous people navigate Family, Criminal, and Youth charges. Among other things, the Courtworkers can help explain documents and processes to Individuals, speak to matters in Court, and make referrals to appropriate programming. NCSA also offers various other programing.
Family Mediation - Alberta Court of Kings Bench has a free mediation program for separating families, where one parent’s guideline income (line 150) is under $60,000.00 per year.
Child Support Resolution Services - Alberta Court of Kings Bench created this Program which enables Parents to meet with a Family Law Lawyer, for free, to resolve the issue of Child Support in a 60 - 90 minute session.
Family Law Dispute Resolution Services - Alberta Courts always encourage Parents to engage in alternative dispute resolution, before litigation family matters. There is a comprehensive list of alternatives listed on the Alberta Courts website.
Family Court Counsellors - help Self-Represented individuals prepare pleadings, prepare for court, understand the court process. They can even help couples who are both self-represented negotiate consent orders.
Family Law Forms - the forms needed to start a Family Law Claim or Respond to Family law Claim can be found on the Alberta Courts Website.
Family Law Resource Binder - Alberta Justice has created a resource binder to help Self-Represented Individuals prepare for and run a trial.
Criminal Resource Binder - Alberta Justice has created a resource binder to help Self-Represented Individuals prepare for and run a trial.
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