British Columbia Families Are Better Protected Today
The new training and practice standards that came into effect on January 1 st are long overdue. The new standards were added to British Columbia’s new Family Law Act that came into effect last March, and screening for family violence is now a requirement of all professionals assisting in family matters.
“We believe that BC is leading the way in recognizing that family violence often accompanies marital breakdown.” said divorce mediator Wes Stevenson.
Mr. Stevenson goes on to say, “Our legislators are listening to their constituents who are calling for a fresh approach to addressing marital break down, including the preferred use of mediation. Family courts and judges are overworked, and research shows that up to 40% of individuals who go through divorce using the traditional system end up below the poverty line.”
Mr. Stevenson says that his experience gained over the past 5 years as a divorce mediator shows that mediation saves time, money and stress.
“Divorce can be one of the most financially devastating events in two peoples’ lives. Money spent getting mad, or getting even, is wasted money,” Wes said. “It shouldn’t cost you and arm and a leg, nor a significant amount of time, to move on independent of each other.”
“And remember that adults divorce; children do not,” Wes noted. “By keeping lines of communication open and proceeding as amicably as possible, you can help your children transition smoothly to a two-household lifestyle. That’s one of the goals of mediation.”
The new BC Family Law Act requires all mediators and lawyers to take a minimum of 14 hours of focused training on how to screen for and identify family violence, as well as power imbalances. Kelowna Divorce Mediation Services has also created a resource list to help those requiring it. You can access this list by clicking HERE .
“90% of our cases are successfully concluded, and for those few that end with 1 or 2 issues left to resolve, we don’t feel they were unsuccessful because they’ve saved thousands of dollars and tons of time to get that far,” says Wes.
“I applaud our legislators for having the foresight to recognize the importance of these changes because the traditional system has proven to be a dismal failure in bringing cost-effective, timely resolution to family dispute matters.”
We have also written an accompanying article called “ Spot the Signs ” which highlights recent research on domestic violence.
About Kelowna Divorce Mediation Services
We are not expensive lawyers; we are family divorce mediators . Our boutique divorce mediation firm has quickly become Kelowna couples’ first choice when dealing with separation and divorce. We have proven that when a couple faces divorce, it is possible to reduce stress, time and conflict. Our mediation model educates and empowers our clients, so that when you leave you have a document that is guaranteed to stand the test of time.
