Form 20: Notice of Exemption from Parenting Education Program

What Form 20 does

For family-law matters in registries covered by Part 7 of the Provincial Court Family Rules, most parties must complete a parenting education program before attending a family management conference. Form 20 records circumstances in which completion is not required or a qualified decision-maker approves an exemption. Under the 2026 Rules, Part 7 applies to registries other than early resolution registries; check which requirements apply to your case.

Check the pre-2022 transition

Rule 97.1 excludes certain older applications from Part 7 where the family-law application was filed before January 4, 2022 in a registry that was not then a parenting education program registry. Check the filing date and registry status before assuming the current education requirement applies to an older proceeding.

Automatic exemptions (Part 2 of Form 20)

The form lists situations not requiring a separate approval, including an application involving only spousal support and/or companion-animal property, a matter in which all involved children are at least 19, certain child-support-only files where support rights were assigned to government, and public-body parties. Check the precise checkboxes and criteria before filing. Under Rule 100(3)(a), a parenting education certificate completed within the preceding two years can also satisfy the requirement; you do not use Form 20 merely to re-prove a certificate already on file.

When approval is required (Part 3)

Rule 100(1) allows a Family Justice Services Division local manager or designate to grant an exemption where the party cannot access the online program, the program is not available in a language they speak fluently, literacy challenges prevent completion, a serious medical condition prevents completion, or a filed consent order resolves all child-related issues. Submit the request for approval to Family Justice Services Division first; if approved, file the completed Form 20 with the registry. A pending request is not an approved exemption.

How to complete and use Form 20

1. Confirm that the education requirement applies to your registry and type of family-law matter.
2. Fill out the party and court details from your file.
3. If you meet an automatic exemption, check the correct box in Part 2 and file Form 20 at the registry.
4. Otherwise use Part 3 to request approval, add the required contact details, and submit it to Family Justice Services Division through a Family Justice Centre or Justice Access Centre.
5. If approved, file the completed form with the court. If not approved, complete the required program and file a completion certificate as the Rules direct.

Important: the official PDF still cites old rules

The government’s published Form 20 (PFA740, dated 08/2024) still refers to former family justice registry Rules 39, 40, 90, 91 and 94 in some instructions. Several of those provisions were repealed in May 2026. For a 2026 case, use the current consolidated Provincial Court Family Rules: in particular Rules 97, 97.1 and 100–103, together with any current registry directions. Do not rely on the outdated rule numbers printed on the older form to decide whether you must complete parenting education.

Timing before the family management conference

Rule 102 requires an exempt party to file Form 20 before attending a family management conference; someone who completes the course files a certificate of completion instead. Rule 103 allows the registry to schedule the conference after at least one party has filed the appropriate certificate or exemption notice. Scheduling with one party’s document does not necessarily excuse the other party from meeting their own requirement.

Worked example

Common mistake

Do not file an unapproved Part 3 request as though it were an exemption. Do not use Form 20 instead of a current certificate of completion when you took the course. The prescribed form distinguishes these routes, and Rule 100 lists narrow eligibility conditions.