Family law lawyer Craig Neville, a leading BC alternative dispute resolution professional, will be presenting on “Parenting Coordination Practice: 10 Years In” at the Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia (CLE BC) 12th Biennial Family Law Conference on July 4th.
In this recent video interview, Craig discusses how retaining a Parenting Coordinator helps high-conflict separated parents manage the day-to-day raising of children by resolving disputes efficiently and with maximum cooperation.
Video: Craig Neville, a leading ADR professional in BC, explains his role as Parenting Coordinator
“What it is, in a nutshell, is a program whereby parents who have spearated and have children can retain a trained family laywer or mental health professional with special training and longstanding work with families to assist with implementation of their parenting plan.”
Neville explains how a written agreement is entered into with the parents whereby they agree to mediate day-to-day issues with the Parenting Coordinator, and when an agreement cannot be mediated, a binding decision can be imposed that is enforceable as a court order.
Typical issues that parents may require help resolving include things like:
- choosing children’s extra-curricular activities
- deciding what school their child should attend,
- coordination of medical and dental treatments
- manging vacation requests
While roughly 10 percent of divorced parents continue to have conflict around long-term parenting issues, some parents who have successfully managed parenting issues over time may face new challenges as kids become teens, or with the introduction of a new partner or other children into the arrangement.
An added benefit of Parenting Coordination is that a parenting coordinator, unlike a judge, will have a greater understanding of the unique needs of the family they are working with, and will be better equipped to suggest solutions that will work best for the family as a whole.
For more information on Parenting Coordination or any other family law matter, reach out to the Watson Goepel LLP Family Law Group.