Parenting Coordination is a unique process specifically designed to assist family law parties with issues related to parenting.  It is a child-centred form of alternative dispute resolution in which a trained parenting coordinator facilitates agreement on parenting issues by encouraging parents to communicate with one another about the children’s needs.  Parenting coordinators are trained to understand children’s needs, assist parents in voicing their child- and parenting-related concerns, and assist parents in managing, and keeping children out of, their conflict.

Parenting coordination is unlike Collaborative Law and Mediation in that parenting coordinators have some authority to make decisions for parents when they are unable to agree on their own.  Parenting coordinators’ decisions are based on information received from parents as well as from professionals such as teachers, counselors, and doctors.  Sometimes, if appropriate and necessary, parenting coordinators can hear from the children themselves.

Parenting coordinators cannot make major decisions about parenting time or parents’ decision-making authority.  They can, however, make minor decisions about issues like changes to parenting plans such as holidays or vacations, discipline of children, parenting exchanges, children’s education and extracurricular activities, and how the children’s belongings, such as clothing and school supplies, should be shared between households.

If you have questions about parenting coordination or believe it could be of benefit to you, please reach out to our family law team at www.mckercher.ca/familylawsask.