Glossary
In Family Law
Shared care, also called shared custody, is when children live at least 40% of the time with each parent. Shared custody may affect how much child support is paid.
In Family Law
Shared custody, also called shared care, is when children live at least 40% of the time with each parent. Shared custody may affect how much child support is paid.
In Family Law
Shared parenting time is when children live at least 40% of the time with each parent. It used to be called shared care or shared custody. Shared parenting time may affect how much child support is paid.
In Abuse and Family Violence, Child abuse and neglect, Family Law
A child is in society care when they are in the care and custody of the Children’s Aid Society for a certain amount of time. A child cannot be in society care for more than 12 months. If CAS has to care for them longer than 12 months, they have to be in extended society care.
In Abuse and Family Violence, Family Law
Sole custody is a type of custody where only one parent has the right to make important decisions about how to care for and raise a child. It includes the right to make decisions about the child’s health, education, and religion.
The parent with sole custody may have to discuss the issue with the other parent before making an important decision. But the parent with sole custody can make the decision even if the other parent disagrees.
Other people, for example, grandparents, can also apply to the court for custody.
In Family Law
Special or extraordinary expenses are a type of child support that is paid in addition to the table amounts of monthly child support set out in the Child Support Guidelines. The table amounts cover expenses like clothes, food, and basic school supplies.
Special or extraordinary expenses cover things like daycare or university costs. These expenses must be:
- reasonable given the family’s financial situation, and
- necessary because they are in the child’s best interests.
Both parents usually share these expenses in proportion to their incomes.
In Family Law
To serve a document by special service means you have to give a copy of that document to your partner by either:
- getting someone like a family member, friend, or process server to give the copy to your partner in person
- giving the copy directly to your partner’s lawyer
- giving the copy to an adult living at the same home as your partner and also mailing a copy of the document your partner’s address within one day
There are rules about how to serve a document by special service that depend on how you serve the document. For example, you can mail the document but your partner must mail you back a special form to say that they received your document.
Some documents, such as documents that start a court case, must be served by special service. Most documents can be served by regular service.
In Family Law
Split custody is where parents who have separated or divorced have:
- more than one child together, and
- each parent has one or more of their children living with them most of the time.
Split custody may affect the amount of child support paid.
In Family Law
Split parenting time, which used to be called split custody, is where parents who have separated or divorced have:
- more than one child together, and
- each parent has one or more of their children living with them most of the time.
Split parenting time may affect how much child support is paid.
In Family Law
Spousal support is money paid by one partner to the other partner after they separate or divorce. Spousal support is not automatic. The partner asking for spousal support must show that they have a legal right to spousal support.
If spousal support is paid, the partner with the higher income almost always pays support to the partner with the lower income. There are Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines that help lawyers and judges calculate how much and how long support needs to be paid. There’s also an online tool that can give you a basic idea of how much and for how long, support needs to be paid.