Parenting Coordination is a child-focused ADR process in which a mental health or legal professional with child development, family therapy, mediation and arbitration training and experience assists parents in high conflict to implement their parenting plans.

Parenting Coordination is a structured, mental health, ADR process that combines assessment, education, case management, conflict management, negotiation and, when necessary, decision-making functions (arbitration). Parenting Coordinators have extensive experience and qualifications for working with high conflict situations related to separation and divorce.

This service is for families in high conflict post separation and divorce. Parents are referred or enter into a Consent Order with legal counsel to attend this process. They have typically demonstrated a long-term inability or unwillingness to make parenting decisions on their own, to comply with parenting agreements and orders, to reduce their child-related conflicts and to protect their children form the impact of that conflict. . The Parenting Coordinator assists in decreasing conflict and helps families to begin to function more smoothly. Many families experience high degrees of frustration due to divorce impasse and this process offers them relief from this dynamic.

The Parenting Coordinator can be recommended and, later may be responsible to the Court.

Parents can enter into an agreement with a Parenting Coordinator, but the agreement details would be best outlined in a Consent Order as well. . This way, the process is clear and the parties are aware of the ability of the Parenting Coordinator to potentially make decisions when the parties cannot.

Role of Service Provider

The Provider must have the following combination of expertise: Master’s Degree in a mental heath field, licensed in their area, trained Registered or Certified Mediator, trained in Arbitration, trained in working with high conflict separation and divorce, trained in parenting coordination, trained in working with domestic violence and child maltreatment.

The roles include:
Facilitation, education, consultation, assessment, conflict management, negotiation, decision-making (as directed by the court).

In cases of domestic violence, the role of the PC may change to an enforcement role (if directed by the Court Order).

PC’s will use their negotiation and mediation training to diminish conflict and to work to minimize power imbalances.

Parenting Coordinator Agreement:
- as word document click here
- as pdf document click here

Find out about the various alternative dispute resolution services for parents of separation and divorce:
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- as a pdf document click here

Click here to view the Requirements for Registered Parenting Coordinator and Arbitrator from the Alberta Family Mediation Society

Commonly Asked Questions

To view a list of commonly asked questions:
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as a pdf document click here