Divorce and Children

The Family Law Support Team is dedicated to helping our clients deal with their self litigation needs.  The most important issue in any divorce that involves children is how the welfare of the children is cared for during and after the separation and divorce of the parents.  If you have a child or children and are getting divorced you need to put some attention towards their welfare and assist them in this extremely emotional and difficult transition period.

Treat your children with respect.  They will know that things have changed even if they aren't privy to the exact details of why Mommy and Daddy are acting differently.  Children will react differently to a separation and divorce of their parents depending on their individual personalities and relationships.

Your children need to be told that it is not their fault and that they are loved by both of their parents.  They need to maintain their lifestyle that they had before divorce.  This means keeping your kids enrolled in extracurricular activities, social events and their home.  Even if this now means the kids have two homes they need to feel safe and have a foundation to continue to develop into healthy adults.

Child Support Guidelines

Child support is one of the main issues in family law cases that involve children.  As a self litigant, the first thing you need to do is get a copy of the federal child support guidelines available online right here:

http://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/pi/fcy-fea/lib-bib/pub/guide/index.html

These guidelines are a set of rules and tables.  The guidelines are the law.  They can tell you how a judge would most likely figure out the amount of child support in your situation.  If you pay or receive child support or will pay or receive child support these guidelines, amended on May 1, 2006, are important for you to review.

If you are planning on attending a Family Law Support Team seminar or workshop we will assist you in:

• Determining a child support amount.
• Advising you on which support documents you need to provide, how to fill them out and what arguments to make in them.
• Making sure your rights are considered.
• Making sure your child's best interests are protected.
• Help you with court procedures.