Difference between revisions of "Parenting Coordination"

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The PC is appointed by agreement or court order. An agreement or order appointing a parenting coordinator should specify who is being appointed; a list a of parenting coordinators is available at the website of [http://www.bcparentingcoordinators.com/member-roster/ BC Parenting Coordinators Roster Society].
The PC is appointed by agreement or court order. An agreement or order appointing a parenting coordinator should specify who is being appointed; a list a of parenting coordinators is available at the website of [http://www.bcparentingcoordinators.com/member-roster/ BC Parenting Coordinators Roster Society].
  Because the PC role is relatively invasive in a family’s  life, some PC’s offer an opportunity for the parents to have a relatively short meeting  with him or her to meet each other and discuss the role, prior to the formal appointment, either at a fixed cost or no cost.
  Because the PC role is relatively invasive in a family’s  life, some PC’s offer an opportunity for the parents to have a relatively short meeting  with him or her to meet each other and discuss the role, prior to the formal appointment, either at a fixed cost or no cost.
Once the parents and the PC agree, they will enter a Parenting Coordination Agreement, for which they should have Independent Legal Advice.  The PC Agreement sets out  in some detail  what the  PC will do, how it will be done, the cost and how it is to be paid.  The agreement also provides for the term of the arrangement.  It may be as short as 6 months  but most PC’s will require that the term be at least 12 to 24 months with an opportunity for the parents to renew the contract if the PC remains willing.  Most PCs will require a retainer and/or a deposit of $5000 to $10,000 and up.  The parents must each then pay their share of the parenting coordinator's retainer. As with a lawyer, the retainers paid to the parenting coordinator are security for the parenting coordinator's future bills. When such bills are issued, parenting coordinators will pay themselves by drawing on parties' retainers.  
Once the parents and the PC agree, they will enter a Parenting Coordination Agreementhttp://www.bcparentingcoordinators.com/assets/pdfs/BCPCRS_standard_pc_agreement_template_sept_2014.pdf, for which they should have Independent Legal Advice.  The PC Agreement sets out  in some detail  what the  PC will do, how it will be done, the cost and how it is to be paid.  The agreement also provides for the term of the arrangement.  It may be as short as 6 months  but most PC’s will require that the term be at least 12 to 24 months with an opportunity for the parents to renew the contract if the PC remains willing.  Most PCs will require a retainer and/or a deposit of $5000 to $10,000 and up.  The parents must each then pay their share of the parenting coordinator's retainer. As with a lawyer, the retainers paid to the parenting coordinator are security for the parenting coordinator's future bills. When such bills are issued, parenting coordinators will pay themselves by drawing on parties' retainers.  


Some parenting coordinators will also ask for an additional retainer, called a deposit. This money is held in reserve to enable the parenting coordinator to finish dealing with a problem in the event that a party's retainer runs out in the middle of a dispute and the party refuses to replenish his or her retainer. PC’s charge by the hour for all time spent working with the family so they are very expensive.  They may be cheaper in the long run than paying lawyers for numerous applications to Court but they may be  more expensive than most families can afford.
Some parenting coordinators will also ask for an additional retainer, called a deposit. This money is held in reserve to enable the parenting coordinator to finish dealing with a problem in the event that a party's retainer runs out in the middle of a dispute and the party refuses to replenish his or her retainer. PC’s charge by the hour for all time spent working with the family so they are very expensive.  They may be cheaper in the long run than paying lawyers for numerous applications to Court but they may be  more expensive than most families can afford.

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