Difference between revisions of "Parenting Coordination"

NOT FINISHED. MUST BE EDITED. Parenting coordination is a child-focused dispute resolution process for separated families which helps to resolve issues about the implementation and interpretation of orders and agreements on parenting issues. Parenting coordinators are experienced family law lawyers and mediators, counsellors, social workers and psychologists.

This chapter provides a brief introduction to parenting coordination, an overview overview of the process and links to some additional resources on parenting coordination.

Parenting coordination uses both mediation and arbitration to resolve disputes about parenting issues as they arise from time to time, once the parents have reached a final order or agreement dealing with custody and guardianship of and access to their children.

The parenting coordinator is a family law lawyer or a mental health professional whom the parents hire on a long-term basis, usually for not less than six months and not more than two years. Parenting coordination is only useful for parents who, despite the formal resolution of their issues, seem to always find themselves fighting about parenting issues.

Once the parenting coordinator has been retained, either parent may ask the parenting coordinator to resolve a dispute. The parent with the issue will contact the parenting coordinator and explain the problem and his or her preferred solution. The parenting coordinator will discuss the problem with the other parent to get his or her prespective on the issue and will then work with both parents to find a resolution everyone can agree to. If, however, the parents can't reach agreement or if the issue is very urgent, the parenting coordinator may arbitrate the dispute and impose a resolution.