What Is Parenting Coordination and Is It Right for Our High-Conflict Case in Ontario?

Parenting coordination is a process for parents with a history of serious conflict over parenting who already have a court order or parenting agreement that sets out decision-making and a detailed schedule. It may suit you if the fight is about applying the order, not about starting over.

The coordinator is usually a mental health professional or lawyer and can decide how to interpret the order or agreement. Justice Canada describes it as a private-sector service. The coordinator first tries consensual methods, and where settlement is not possible, makes a determination in the children's best interests that binds both parents. It is usually a paid private service.

If your process is set up as family arbitration in Ontario, each person must get independent legal advice and a certificate before it starts, and each is screened separately for domestic violence and power imbalances. Without independent legal advice, an award generally cannot be enforced in court. Matters involving children must be decided in the child's best interest. A lawyer can help you decide whether to agree.