There are many terms and concepts in the family court system that might be new to you, or that you will want to understand more fully. See our glossary of common family law terms for a quick summary or read these fact sheets for more details.
Here are some common issues you might encounter in your family law case.
- After parents separate, or if they have never lived together, it is necessary to make legal arrangements for the children.
- Child support is the money that is paid by the parent with whom the children spend less time to the other parent to help with the financial support of the children.
- Spousal support is the money paid by one ex-partner to the other.
- Many abusive men engage in ongoing harassment of their partner even after they separate. Sometimes this will be done through the legal system, which is called legal bullying.
- A restraining order is an order from the family court that keeps one person away from another.
- The Child and Youth Family Services Act is the Ontario law dealing with child protection. Its purpose is to promote the best interests, protection and well-being of children.