Justice Reform Initiatives ~ Early Solutions, Faster Justice

Family Justice Reform Projects

Comprehensive Child Support Service

In 2002, the Ministry of Attorney General launched the Comprehensive Child Support Service (CCSS) in Kelowna. The CCSS was developed to complement other family justice services by providing parents with specialized assistance in child support matters, information on enforcement and access to dispute resolution alternatives and related services.

The CCSS project includes the following specialized child support services:

• Child Support Officer (CSO) - The CSO assists parents in navigating the procedures involved to obtain and change child support orders and agreements.
  
  
• Family Maintenance Enforcement Program (FMEP) Outreach - The FMEP Outreach connects clients with an outreach officer, who provides information about FMEP and manages the particulars of their child support enforcement file.
  
  
• Limited Legal Advice - CCSS clients may access up to three hours of a lawyer's time to review options, draft written agreements and prepare legal documents should they go to court. The lawyer does not appear for or with CCSS clients in court.

In 2003, the CCSS was launched in Vancouver and Surrey and in 2007 the CCSS was established in Nanaimo.

For more information about the CCSS, go to the family justice website or see the report "Comprehensive Child Support Services Pilot Project: Formative Evaluation" on the Justice Services website. [PDF]