If you're separating in Edmonton and expect to end up in front of a judge, the path into family court changed at the start of this year. On January 2, 2026, the Court of King's Bench of Alberta introduced the Family Focused Protocol, a new set of steps that most people must complete before a judge will hear a contested family law issue.
This isn't a change to the law itself — the Divorce Act and Alberta's Family Law Act still govern who gets parenting time, decision-making responsibility, or support. What's changed is the process: what you have to do, and in what order, before your matter reaches a judge for a contested decision.
This article walks through what the Family Focused Protocol requires, who it applies to, and what the court process now looks like from intake to trial preparation. It's a general explainer, not legal advice for your specific situation.
What is the Family Focused Protocol in Alberta?
The Family Focused Protocol (FFP) is a new court process introduced by the Court of King's Bench of Alberta, effective January 2, 2026, that requires most people in a family law dispute to complete certain steps before the court will grant contested relief. The Court of King's Bench of Alberta is the court that handles divorce under the federal Divorce Act, along with many parenting, decision-making, and support matters under Alberta's Family Law Act.
The protocol is built around what the court calls the Family Justice Strategy Mandatory Requirements. In the court's own words, in its Notice to the Profession and Public: "all parties seeking relief from the Court in a family proceeding are required to complete the Family Justice Strategy Mandatory Requirements" — unless the matter is urgent or a waiver has been granted.
What do I have to do before I can go to family court in Alberta?
Under the Family Focused Protocol, most people must complete four things before asking the court for contested relief:
- The Parenting After Separation seminar — a court-associated education session about the impact of separation on children and co-parenting.
- An Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) attempt — some genuine effort to resolve the issue outside of court, such as mediation, before asking a judge to decide it.
- Full disclosure — sharing complete financial information and, where relevant, parenting information with the other party.
- A meeting with a Family Court Counsellor — required for self-represented parties, where this service is available in their location.
These requirements generally apply before you can bring a contested application — that is, one the other party doesn't agree with. They don't necessarily apply the same way to every step of a family case, and the court can waive them or treat a matter as urgent in some circumstances.
What counts as urgent, and can these requirements be waived?
The Family Focused Protocol allows two exceptions to the mandatory requirements: an urgent matter, or a waiver granted by the court. The notice does not set out an exhaustive list of what qualifies as urgent, and it doesn't describe exactly how a waiver request is made or decided in every situation.
Because these are case-by-case determinations, this is an area where getting advice early matters. Whether your situation qualifies as urgent, or whether a waiver is realistic, depends on the specific facts and is not something a general article can answer for you.
Who is the Mandatory Intake Triage Justice, and why does it matter?
Under the Family Focused Protocol, each family is assigned a single Mandatory Intake Triage Justice at the start of their matter, and that same justice generally continues as the family's Case Conference Justice going forward. In practice, this means the same judge is likely to be involved with a family's case at more than one stage, rather than a new judge reviewing the file at each step.
What are the steps in a family court case now?
Under the new process, a family law matter usually moves through the following stages:
- Intake conference — the initial review with the assigned justice.
- Settlement conference — an opportunity to resolve issues with judicial input before trial.
- Case conference — held if the matter remains unresolved after the settlement conference.
- Trial preparation — the steps that follow if the matter still hasn't resolved.
The Family Focused Protocol also sorts matters into one of three streams: Regular, Desk, or Urgent. Which stream applies affects how a matter is scheduled and handled, though the notice does not spell out every criterion for each stream.
How does this affect separating parents and couples in Edmonton?
For families going through separation in Edmonton, the Family Focused Protocol generally means completing the Parenting After Separation seminar, attempting some form of Alternative Dispute Resolution, and exchanging financial and parenting disclosure before a contested issue can go in front of a judge at the Court of King's Bench of Alberta in Edmonton. Self-represented parties in Edmonton also generally need to meet with a Family Court Counsellor, where that service is offered locally.
Because an ADR attempt is now expected of most parties seeking contested relief, it's worth understanding what that step involves before your matter reaches it. Devgun Family Law offers family mediation in-house for Edmonton clients, alongside representation, for people who need to complete this part of the process — though, as with any dispute resolution process, whether mediation resolves a particular issue depends on the circumstances and both parties' participation.
Common questions
Does the Family Focused Protocol apply to every family law case in Alberta?
It applies broadly to family proceedings in the Court of King's Bench of Alberta, but the notice sets out that urgent matters and waivers are treated differently. Whether it applies to your specific type of application is a question for a lawyer familiar with the current protocol.
Do I still need a lawyer if I have to attend a Parenting After Separation seminar or try mediation first?
The seminar and ADR requirements are steps in the process, not a replacement for legal advice. Many people consult a lawyer before or during these steps to understand their options and how disclosure and negotiation may affect their case.
Is the Family Focused Protocol the same across all Alberta courts?
The Family Focused Protocol applies to the Court of King's Bench of Alberta. It's a different court from the Alberta Court of Justice, and the two courts handle family matters differently — confirm which court applies to your situation before assuming a particular process governs it.
Practical takeaway
If you expect a separation to end up before the Court of King's Bench of Alberta in 2026, plan for the Family Justice Strategy Mandatory Requirements as an early stage of the process, not an afterthought — the seminar, an ADR attempt, disclosure, and (for self-represented parties) a Family Court Counsellor meeting generally come before a contested hearing. From there, matters usually move through intake, settlement conference, case conference, and trial preparation, under one assigned justice throughout.
This article is general information only and is not legal advice. If you are separating or facing a family court matter in Edmonton or elsewhere in Alberta, speak with a family lawyer about your specific circumstances.