Where Legal Aid Coverage is extended to clients for Queen’s Bench actions (Divorce Act/ Family Law Act) concerning custody, access, parenting time or contact matters, lawyers are required to make applications for subsidies on behalf of their Legal Aid Clients for Open Assessments or Parental Conflict Intervention, as applicable. 

Parental Conflict Intervention (Practice Note 7) (PCI):   The court may appoint a chartered psychologist to meet with the parties for up to ten hours to attempt to resolve the parenting issues.  At the conclusion of the parental conflict intervention, the psychologist forwards a report to the court, including recommendations if any, to assist the Court in determining the best interests of the child.

Open Assessment (OA):   Where mediation has been attempted but has not been successful (or has been waived), the parties may be referred to Open Assessment.  Open Assessments are conducted by private practitioner Psychologists or Social Workers who evaluate the circumstances of the parties and present a written summary of their assessment and recommendations to the court.

Since the individual parties are responsible for paying for their portion of the cost of an assessment or intervention, and a LAA Client is also required to repay LAA for any funds expended on their behalf, we ask that you apply for available subsidies to offset costs to the client.  LAA, in turn, will issue a special disbursement for the difference and in the amount of the client’s unsubsidized portion.

Roster Lawyers' requests for Special Disbursements for unsubsidized portions of PCI or OA costs must contain the following information:

1.  A copy of the response from Family Mediation Services detailing how much, if any, subsidy will be provided;

2.  Yours and the expert’s determination on how much time will be required to conduct the OA or PCI;

3.  The itemization of costs:  the expert’s actual hourly rate, the cost of report preparation, the expert’s travel costs if necessary, etc.

To obtain subsidy applications, please contact Family Mediation Services (Court Services – Family Justice)

Calgary:  (403) 297-6981

Edmonton: (780) 427-8329

Elsewhere in Alberta:  (403) 340-7187   (Dial 310-0000 for toll free access in Alberta)