On January 2, 2026, the Court of King’s Bench in Alberta launched its new Family Focused Protocol (FFP). The FFP is a new framework for handling family and divorce cases in Alberta’s Court of King’s Bench. It replaces the old Family Docket Court and other interim procedures, such as Morning Chambers, Special Chambers, and Early Intervention Case Conferences, and is designed to make the process more family-centred, resolution-oriented, streamlined, and less adversarial than the traditional system.
Instead of the usual “file and wait for separate hearings” approach, parties are now guided through a structured, judicially managed path that better supports families, particularly where children are involved.
Objectives of the New Family Focused Protocol
The main goals of the FFP are to:
- Reduce conflict between parties and avoid unnecessary court battles;
- Speed up the resolution of issues like parenting, support, and property;
- Encourage cooperation and early settlement, rather than repeated interim applications;
- Minimize harm to children by focusing on family-friendly outcomes; and
- Provide consistent judicial guidance from start to finish.
Prerequisites for Entering the FFP
Prior to entering into this new process, there are mandatory prerequisites that parties must comply with (or obtain a waiver). These are not new, but compliance may be more strictly enforced. These include:
- Completing the Parenting After Separation Course and filing the Certificate of Completion with the Courts;
- Assemble and file your complete financial disclosure package;
- Attend some form of Alternative Dispute Resolution meeting (mediation/4-way meeting, or similar); and
- Attendance with a Family Court Counsellor (only required for self-represented parties)
- If these steps are not completed (or waived), the court can delay processing the matter.
Filing Intake Forms and Waivers
Once these steps have been completed, parties are then required to complete the Request for Mandatory Intake Conference and Mandatory Intake Triage Summary forms. These forms summarize a file and what issues parties need resolved (parenting, child support, spousal support, property division, etc.). If your matter requires a waiver of any of the above prerequisites, the waivers must be obtained before submitting the Intake forms; otherwise, your documents will be rejected by the review clerks. It is currently unknown how long the Courts are taking to process waiver requests.
Review and Assignment
Upon your documents being successfully reviewed and processed by the Courts, you will be assigned to a Mandatory Intake Triage (MIT) Justice, and a court date will be scheduled. Filed copies of your documents will also be returned to you. These filed documents must be promptly served on the other party, who then has only 14 days to file a response. Remember to file an Affidavit of Service once service is complete so the Court knows that this step has been completed. If there is no Affidavit of Service filed with the Court and the other party does not appear on the court date, your matter may be adjourned to a future date so that you can prove that they have indeed received the documents.
The Role of the MIT Justice
As mentioned, each file will be assigned a specific MIT Justice. This Justice will meet with the parties early on in the process and then follow that family’s file to conclusion. At the initial meeting with the family, the Justice will be able to address any interim applications that anyone may have. This includes initial applications for parenting and support and may also include applications for the appointment of experts, children’s counsel, or similar. The idea is that you’re getting your file ready to go to trial, so it’s their job to help put the things in place to get you there in a timely manner.
Following your family’s initial meeting with their MIT Justice, the matter will then be scheduled for a settlement conference with a different Justice to see if any or all of the outstanding issues can be resolved through Judicial-assisted mediation. If so, those agreements can be incorporated into Court Orders or Judgments, and then your file can be concluded. If not, you are returned to your MIT Justice for further steps to continue preparing your file for Trial.
Exceptions and Urgent Matters
Although the majority of family files will now be required to flow through the FFP, there are still ways to access to Courts for matters that have been resolved by consent or matters that are urgent. Consent Orders and applications for Waivers (Parenting After Separation, Disclosure, ADR) can still be submitted through the Desk Application process. Requests for matters to be heard urgently can also still be submitted as they were prior to the introduction of the FFP and if accepted, will be scheduled before a Justice in Urgent Family Chambers. Urgent matters are those where there is a serious and imminent risk of harm to a child or one of the parties and/or concerns over the removal of a child from Alberta, as examples.
Ultimately, the aim of this new process is to create a system that is less adversarial, more proactive and more efficient than the old system. With Justices actively involved from the very start of every file, the hope is that all matters will either resolve through ADR or proceed to trial within 18 months of entering the FFP; prior to the introduction of the FFP, some files would be stuck in the Court system for years.
How Kirk Montoute Dawson LLP Helps You Navigate the New Family Focused Protocol
If you have a matter in the Court of King’s Bench and are looking for assistance in navigating the new Family Focused Protocol, reach out to one of our highly qualified lawyers for assistance. Alternatively, if you are looking for assistance in completing the mandatory ADR requirements under this new process, Kirk Montoute Dawson LLP has several highly skilled mediators who would be happy to assist. Contact us for availability.