Parent Coordinators in Custody Cases

A parent coordinator can be helpful to mediate issues between parents. A parent coordinator is a mental health professional (such as a licensed social worker) or lawyer with mediation training and experience who assists high conflict parents in implementing their parenting plan. Parent coordinators are usually licensed social workers or lawyers who help facilitate resolutions between parents quickly and without the time and expense of judicial intervention.

A Parent Coordinator can Play the Role of a Judge

If the parties agree, the parent coordinator may make decisions within the scope of the court order or appointment contract. The parents can agree to allow the parent coordinator to make the final choice on education and medical decisions when parents are unable to agree.

The theory behind a parent coordinator is to assist parents in high conflict to implement their parenting plan, to make sure that the plan is being followed by both parents, to resolve conflicts regarding their children and the parenting plan in a timely manner, and to protect and sustain safe, healthy, and meaningful parent-child relationships.

Rather than going to court with every conflict, the parent coordinator can make the decisions and foster a better relationship between the parents.

Who Pays for a Parent Coordinator?

Parent coordinators charge an hourly fee. The fee ranges from $200- $400 an hour and is usually split between the parents. The parties can agree to a percentage split or the court can order a split. For example, if one parent earns more than the other parent, they may be required to pay more, such as 25% to one parent and 75% to the other.

Issues With Which a Parent Coordinator Can Help

Judges in Supreme Court and Family Court have form orders appointing a parenting coordinator such as this one. The orders include the name of the parent coordinator, the length of the parent coordinator’s services, the fee and compensation, and the issues the parental coordinator handles. These issues can include:

1. Minor changes or clarification of parenting time/access schedules or conditions including vacation, holidays and temporary variation from the existing parenting plan.

2. Transitions/exchanges of the children including date, time, place, means of transportation, and transporter;

3. Health care management including medical, dental, orthodontic, and vision care;

4. Child-rearing issues;

5. Psychotherapy or other mental health care including substance abuse assessment or counseling for the children;

6. Psychological testing or other assessment of the children and parents;

7. Education or daycare including the school choice, tutoring, summer school, participation in special education testing and programs, or other major educational decisions;

8. Enrichment and extracurricular activities including camps and jobs;

9. Religious observances and education;

10. Children’s travel and passports;

11. Clothing, equipment, and personal possessions of the children;

12. Communication between the parents about the children including telephone, fax, email, notes in backpacks, etc.;

13. Communication by a parent with the children including telephone, cell phone, pager, fax and email when they are not in that parent’s care;

14. Alteration of appearance of the children including haircuts, tattoos, and ear and body piercings;

15. Role of and contact with significant others and extended families;

16. Substance abuse assessment or testing for either or both parents or a child, including access to results;

17. Parenting classes for either or both parents; and

18. Any other issues.

Any additional issues can be included for the parent coordinator to deal with for the parties.

Role of the Parenting Coordinator

The parenting coordinator can play different roles in a custody case. These include:

• Educate the parties on communication skills, principles of child development, litigation impact on children, and other issues relevant to the parties’ controversy and the child’s needs;

• Facilitate the execution of and compliance with the existing child custody and parenting time agreement;

• Maintain communication among the parties by serving, if necessary, as a conduit of information;

• Recommend how a particular element or elements of the existing parenting plan or parenting schedule should be implemented, including the frequency and length of visitation, temporary changes in the parenting schedule, holiday or vacation planning, logistics of pick up and drop off, suitability of accommodation, and issues dealing with stepparents and significant others;

• Propose clear and detailed plans which reallocate parenting time to the parties as a means of reducing conflict but without significantly reducing actual net parenting time;

• Notify and remind the parties that the Parenting Coordinator is not the ally of either party, but a neutral professional whose role is to actively and specifically focus on helping parents work together for the benefit of the children;

• Consult with professionals, family members, and others who have information about the parents or children, such as law guardians, therapists, custody evaluators, school teachers, doctors, etc.;

• Determine the protocol and time of all interviews and sessions, including, but not limited to, who attends such meetings and whether a child or children should attend with the parents;

• Upon consent of the law guardian, interview the children privately in order to ascertain their needs as to the issues in controversy;

• Ensure that both parents maintain ongoing relationships with the children so long as it is safe to do so;

• Provide both parents with a written summary of the parenting coordinator’s recommendations; and

• If parents are still unable to reach an agreement about how to facilitate the implementation of their court–ordered parenting plan after the Parenting Coordinator has provided parents with relevant parenting information, tried to help them resolve the disagreement themselves, and offered suggestions, then the Parenting Coordinator has decision making authority on these specified issue areas.

As with the scope of the parenting coordinator, the role can be anything the parents agree to.

Confidentiality of the Communications with the Parent Coordinator

Communications between the parents and the Parenting Coordinator are not confidential.

To permit the parent coordinator to speak with a doctor or lawyer, the parents must sign a waiver.

The parent coordinator may be required by law to report child and domestic abuse as well as threats of abuse against another person.

Guidelines for a parent coordinator can be found here.

Daniel Szalkiewicz and Cali Madia Can Help You With Parent Coordinators

Parent coordinators can be tricky. Their job is to help resolve conflict, but sometimes they can create more conflict. Daniel Szalkiewicz and Cali Madia have experience dealing with parental coordinators to ensure that your best case is presented.