The online service allows people to digitally fill out and file forms by answering simple questions for many family matters, including child support, parenting arrangements, case management and protection orders.
Grace Lore, the province’s parliamentary secretary for gender equity, said filing family law matters such as protection orders and child support in provincial court often means taking time off work and having to travel to a court registry, which creates barriers for many British Columbians.
“This new service provides an accessible and convenient option for individuals and families, as they can complete and file their forms online,” she said.
The service also includes safety screening, a quick exit button, safety checks throughout and referrals to additional resources. Information is also saved as the user progresses through the questions in case they need to pause and return to finish a form later.
“This online service has been specially designed to assist those who have experienced trauma and is part of our ongoing work to help people who are facing gender-based violence,” said Lore. “It has been designed in consultation with front-line workers who support victims of violence and provides a safer alternative for people in dangerous situations to file for a protection order without having to attend a court registry in person.”
The online service is part of the provincial court family rules implementation, which is aimed at helping families reduce conflict so they can work toward earlier resolutions outside the court process and making court processes and forms user-friendly.
The new service can be accessed here.
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