Family Justice Services – Dept. of Justice and Public Safety, GovNL
Address: St. John’s Office – 285 Duckworth St, St. John’s, NL
Notice: Family Justice Services offices will remain closed for all in-person services until further notice. Staff will be conducting appointments via telephone, email or video call wherever possible. Telephone enquiries may be made to the FJS office closest to you.
| Tel: (709) 729-1183 A full listing of locations throughout the province can be found here. Websites: court.nl.ca/supreme/family/fjs.html or justice.gov.nl.ca/just/legalassist/familyjustice.html |
Mandate:
FJS offers services that assist families in resolving custody, access and/or child support issues outside of court. FJS focuses on the needs of children and promotes mediation and dispute resolution outside of the court. During the process parties talk to a neutral person to explore ways to reach an agreement.
Target Population:
Families in Newfoundland and Labrador who are involved in family law matters involving custody, access and/or child support.
Highlights of Programs/Services Offered:
- Parent information sessions three hour parent group session called “Living Apart…Parenting Together”.
- This session helps parents make careful and informed decisions about their separation and any conflicts that may arise from it.
- It helps parents make decisions which will take into account the best interests of children.
- Mediation/ Dispute Resolution in cases regarding custody, access, and/or child support
- Counselling services for families who are involved with FJS Recalculation of child support.
- There are two ways to access Family Justice Services: a Request for Service or a Court Application:
- A Request for Service: When both parties want to work out an agreement outside of the court process, they may access mediation services with FJS. The Request for Service Form is available online as well as at all court locations and FJS office.
- A Court Application: Parties may choose to make a court application for child support, custody or access. The Court will forward a copy of your application to FJS. FJS will then contact both parties to determine if they are interested in mediation outside the court process. Parties can choose to go to court or remain at FJS to try mediation.