Many small communities have limited services, so you may need to travel to another town or city for certain things. For instance, there may be only one or two lawyers – or even none – in the closest town to where you live.
Consider the following:
- Find out as much as you can about services in your community before you need them.
- If there is a women’s shelter, does it operate 24 hours a day? How do you get a bed there? Are there services you could use before you leave home?
- Is there a police station close by or does the police response come from another community?
- Is there a family court in your community or will you have to travel to another location to go to court?
- Are there any lawyers in your community? Find out if any of them practise family law and if any of them take legal aid certificates.
Your family court location
The family court that serves your community may not be the closest court to where you live, so find out its location as soon as you can.
The family court or the services at your family court may only operate certain days of the week or month. Find out this information so you don’t make a long trip to the courthouse only to find it is closed.
If at all possible, work with a women’s legal advocate to make a safety plan for your family law case and for your trips to family court.