Parenting After Separation Course Alberta: PAS Registration and Requirements

You just received court documents from your ex, and somewhere in the paperwork it says you need to complete a "Parenting After Separation" course before anything moves forward. You're wondering what this is, where to take it, and whether you really have to do it.

Yes, you really have to. Under Alberta's Family Focused Protocol, completing the Parenting After Separation (PAS) course is a mandatory pre-court requirement before you can file any application involving children in the Court of King's Bench.

What the PAS Course Is

The Parenting After Separation course is a free, online educational program designed by Alberta Family Justice Services. It teaches separating parents how to communicate with less conflict, understand the impact of separation on children at different developmental stages, and make child-focused decisions about parenting arrangements.

The course takes approximately three hours to complete. You can work through it at your own pace — there's no requirement to finish it in a single sitting. It's entirely online, so you can complete it from home on any device with internet access.

Who Must Take It

Both parents must complete PAS if their family matter involves children under eighteen and is proceeding through the Court of King's Bench. The applicant (the parent who starts the court process) must complete the course and file their certificate of completion before submitting court documents. The respondent must complete the course and file their certificate within 14 days of being served.

This applies whether you're married or common-law, whether you're filing for divorce or making a standalone parenting application under the Family Law Act.

How to Register

Registration happens through the Alberta Family Justice Services online learning portal. The course is self-paced and available 24/7. You'll create an account, work through the modules, and receive a certificate of completion when you finish.

There's no fee. The Government of Alberta funds the program, so don't pay a third-party site that claims to offer the "official" PAS course for a fee — the legitimate course is free.

Certificate Rules

Your PAS certificate is valid for two years from the date of completion. If your certificate is older than two years when you file your court application, you must retake the course and obtain a new certificate.

The certificate must be filed with the court clerk as part of your Mandatory Intake Triage package. Without it, the Case Management Officer will reject your filing.

The High-Conflict Option: PASHC

If your separation involves high-conflict dynamics — ongoing disputes about parenting time, communication breakdowns, or situations where standard co-parenting strategies aren't working — Alberta offers the Parenting After Separation for High Conflict (PASHC) course.

PASHC builds on the standard PAS course with additional content on managing intense conflict, protecting children from parental disputes, and communicating through structured methods (like co-parenting apps) when direct communication isn't safe or productive.

PASHC is sometimes court-ordered in situations involving family violence allegations or repeated parenting time violations. Even when it's not required, parents in high-conflict separations often find it more practical than the standard course.

What PAS Doesn't Cover

The PAS course gives you solid theoretical grounding — why children need both parents, how to reduce conflict, what developmental stages look like after separation. What it doesn't provide is fill-in-the-blank drafting tools to build your actual parenting plan.

You'll leave PAS motivated to create a child-focused agreement, but without templates for parenting schedules, holiday rotations, Section 7 expense worksheets, or consent order formatting. The Alberta Child Custody & Parenting Plan Guide bridges that gap with step-by-step worksheets designed to work alongside what you learn in PAS.

Timeline in the FFP Process

PAS sits at the very beginning of the Family Focused Protocol workflow. Before you can attempt Alternative Dispute Resolution, exchange financial disclosure, or meet with a Family Court Counsellor, PAS must be done. Think of it as the entry ticket to the entire court process.

Completing it early — even before you're certain about filing — gives you time to absorb the material and start drafting your parenting arrangements without court deadlines breathing down your neck.

See more Alberta guides →