Legal Aid BC
604-408-2172 (Greater Vancouver)
1-866-577-2525 (elsewhere in BC)
You have the right to get legal advice.
If you're pregnant and worried the ministry might get involved because of your current circumstances or history with them, get legal advice as soon as possible.
Parents Legal Centres
Parents Legal Centres are Legal Aid BC services. A lawyer and an advocate will help you address the social worker's concerns about your children's safety. This service is available any time after a social worker contacts you.
Call the Parents Legal Centre (PLC) immediately at 1-888-522-2752 (1-888-LABC-PLC) to find out if you qualify for a free lawyer and an advocate.
To find out if a Parents Legal Centre is near you, see the Legal Aid BC website. If you don't live near a PLC, you can get help at a PLC Network location in your community.
Other legal help
If you don't qualify for legal aid, other legal services can help you:
- Indigenous community legal workers — Legal Aid BC staff in Duncan and Nanaimo who provide legal information and some legal advice
- Family advice lawyers — lawyers paid by Legal Aid BC to provide brief legal advice services
- Family duty counsel — lawyers at the courthouses paid by Legal Aid BC to help people with low incomes deal with family law problems
- Family justice counsellors — Family Justice Centre staff specially trained to help people find solutions to family law problems
If you can't afford a lawyer and you don't qualify for legal aid, you can apply for a free court-ordered lawyer. See the Legal Aid BC resource If You Can't Get Legal Aid for Your Child Protection Case.
Help from an advocate
An advocate can also help you understand the situation and your rights. Advocates aren't lawyers. They can't give you legal advice. They can go to court with you for support, but they can't be your lawyer.
To find an advocate, see the list on the PovNet website, or ask for a referral at one of these organizations in your area:
- Aboriginal friendship centre, multicultural agency, or social justice group
- victim services, sexual assault centre, or transition house
See also Getting help from an advocate.
Make sure your advocate is trained in child protection.