Ontario Kinship Filing Toolkit vs Free Government Self-Help Guides: What Each Covers
Ontario publishes genuinely useful free resources for self-represented family court applicants — the Form 35.1 self-help guide from the Ministry of the Attorney General, the Steps to Justice portal from CLEO, and the Family Law Information Centres in most family courthouses. A paid filing toolkit does not replace these. It organizes them into a single printable workflow with deadline trackers, so you are not switching between six different websites and a 23-page PDF while trying to figure out what to do next. If you are comfortable synthesizing scattered resources yourself and tracking your own deadlines in a notebook, you do not need a toolkit. If you want one document that puts everything in order with checkboxes, the toolkit saves hours of assembly.
What Each Free Resource Covers
Ontario Court Forms Portal (Ministry of the Attorney General)
The official portal provides forms including Form 8 (Application), Form 35.1 (Affidavit (Decision-Making Responsibility, Parenting Time, Contact) — the parenting affidavit), Form 35.1A (Affidavit (Child Protection Information)), and supporting forms.
What it does well: The forms are current, fillable, and free. They are the official documents — no conversion or reformatting needed.
Where it stops: The forms are blank templates. There are no completion instructions, no guidance on which forms to file together, and no explanation of the filing sequence. You need to know which forms you need before you arrive at the portal.
MAG Form 35.1 Self-Help Guide (23 pages)
Published in March 2021 when Ontario updated the CLRA terminology, this guide walks through Form 35.1 section by section, explaining what each part requires and why.
What it does well: It is the most detailed free explanation of the parenting affidavit. The section-by-section format makes it usable as a reference while you fill out the form.
Where it stops: It covers only Form 35.1. It does not address court venue selection (OCJ vs SCJ vs UFC), the police record check timeline, the CAS records search process, the Mandatory Information Program, case conference preparation, or what to do after the order is signed. It is a single-form reference, not a process guide.
Steps to Justice — CLEO
Community Legal Education Ontario's portal answers dozens of family law questions in plain language: "What is a decision-making responsibility order?", "How do I serve court documents?", "What happens at a case conference?"
What it does well: Each answer is accurate, clearly written, and updated regularly. The breadth of coverage is genuinely impressive.
Where it stops: The information is spread across dozens of separate web pages, each answering one question. There is no consolidated sequence — you need to already know what questions to ask and in what order. For someone who has never been inside a family courthouse, knowing which of 47 articles applies to their situation (and which to skip) requires knowledge they do not yet have.
Family Law Information Centres (FLICs)
Most Ontario family courthouses have a FLIC. Services include the Mandatory Information Program (required in contested CLRA proceedings), procedural guidance from court staff, and — for income-eligible applicants — access to Advice Counsel for up to 20 minutes of general legal advice and information.
What it does well: Human guidance, in person, at the courthouse. Advice Counsel can provide up to 20 minutes of general legal advice and information about the court process and family law.
Where it stops: FLIC staff cannot draft your documents, and Advice Counsel appointments are limited to income-eligible applicants. Hours are courthouse business hours only. You need to arrive with your documents substantially complete — they refine and review, not create from scratch.
What a Filing Toolkit Adds
| Step | Free resources cover it? | Toolkit adds |
|---|---|---|
| Which court to file in (OCJ / SCJ / UFC) | Steps to Justice explains the difference | Decision map that tells you which one for your specific situation |
| Form 35.1 Part B (parenting affidavit) | MAG self-help guide, section by section | Pre-flight checklist so you do not discover a missing field at the counter |
| Police record check | Brief mentions in MAG guide | 60-day expiry tracker with request date, expected processing time, and filing deadline |
| CAS records search (Form 35.1A) | Steps to Justice explains the requirement | Request log with confidential filing instructions |
| Mandatory Information Program | FLIC administers it; Steps to Justice describes it | Prep sheet — what to bring, what it covers, when you must attend |
| Serving documents | Steps to Justice explains methods | Service checklist with affidavit-of-service deadlines |
| Case conference preparation | Steps to Justice describes the format | Worksheet organizing your evidence around CLRA s. 24(3) best-interests factors |
| Post-order administration (school, OHIP, passport) | Not covered anywhere | Step-by-step for each institution — what to bring, what they require, what they refuse |
| Deadline tracking across all steps | Not covered | Seven standalone printable trackers — police check, CAS records, filing, conference, post-order, benefits, agency communication |
The pattern is consistent: free resources explain the rules; the toolkit puts them into an actionable sequence with tracking sheets.
Who This Is For
- Grandparents or relatives who have looked at the free resources and felt overwhelmed by how many separate websites, PDFs, and courthouse visits are involved
- Caregivers who want a single printable document they can work through from start to finish, checking boxes as they go
- Adult children or friends helping an elderly relative who is not comfortable navigating multiple web portals
- Anyone who has already been rejected at the courthouse counter and wants to make sure every form, check, and deadline is handled correctly the second time
Free Download
Get the Ontario Decision-Making Order Checklist
Everything in this article as a printable checklist — plus action plans and reference guides you can start using today.
Who This Is NOT For
- Experienced self-represented litigants who are comfortable tracking their own deadlines and synthesizing information from multiple sources
- Relatives whose only need is a single form — if you just need to fill out Form 35.1 and already know the process, the MAG self-help guide is sufficient and free
- Anyone who prefers to work entirely with in-person help — FLIC Advice Counsel and duty counsel provide that, and a toolkit is not a substitute for human guidance
The Honest Assessment
Ontario's free resources are better than what most provinces offer. If you are organized, comfortable with government websites, and willing to read the MAG guide alongside Steps to Justice while tracking your own deadlines, you can file a decision-making order application without spending anything beyond the police check and commissioning fees.
The Parenting and Decision-Making Orders for Grandparents and Relatives in Ontario toolkit exists for the people who need that process assembled — in order, with deadlines tracked, with the post-order steps nobody else covers, and in a format they can print and carry to the courthouse. Whether that assembly is worth $24 depends entirely on how much of the organizing you want to do yourself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Ontario's free family court resources really free?
Yes. The court forms portal, the MAG Form 35.1 self-help guide, and the Steps to Justice website are all free to access and use. Family Law Information Centres at most family courthouses provide free procedural guidance to visitors. Advice Counsel is available to income-eligible applicants for up to 20 minutes of general legal advice and information. Duty counsel services are subject to financial eligibility.
Why are there so many different free resources instead of one guide?
Each resource is published by a different body with a different mandate. The Ministry of the Attorney General publishes the forms and form-specific guides. CLEO publishes plain-language legal education. Legal Aid Ontario staffs the FLICs. The Adoption Council of Ontario publishes kinship care information booklets. Each does its part well, but none is responsible for consolidating the others into a single workflow.
Can I use the free resources and the toolkit together?
Yes, and the toolkit is designed for that. It links directly to the official court forms, references the MAG self-help guide for detailed Form 35.1 instructions, and tells you when to visit the FLIC and what to bring. The toolkit is a process layer on top of the free resources, not a replacement for them.
What if the free resources have been updated since the toolkit was published?
Ontario's CLRA rules and form numbers change infrequently — the last major update was March 2021. If a form number, fee, or court procedure changes, the toolkit's process sequence (which court, which forms, in what order, with what deadlines) remains accurate even if a specific form version number needs checking against the court forms portal. The toolkit includes links to every official source so you can verify current versions.
Get Your Free Ontario Decision-Making Order Checklist
Download the Ontario Decision-Making Order Checklist — a printable guide with checklists, scripts, and action plans you can start using today.