BC Parenting Coordinators Roster Society

Welcome to the website of the BC Parenting Coordinators Roster Society

Parenting coordination is a child-focused dispute resolution process for separated families. Parenting coordinators are experienced family law lawyers, counsellors, social workers and psychologists who have special training in mediating and arbitrating parenting disputes and in helping separated parents recognize the needs of their children.

Separation is a difficult event for parents and a critical point in the lives of their children. Some parents, particularly where their breakup was traumatic, find themselves in constant conflict with one another, long after separation and sometimes long after trial.

Parenting coordination is a process that gives parents like these access to a neutral decision-maker who can resolve day-to-day parenting conflicts as they arise, with the goal of minimizing further conflict and additional appearances in court. Parents in conflict can retain a parenting coordinator on their own initiative or be referred to a parenting coordinator by the court. Parenting coordination is relatively new to British Columbia but is used extensively in other jurisdictions, including Washington, Oregon and California.

This is the website of the BC Parenting Coordinators Roster Society, a group of British Columbia family law lawyers and mental health professionals who have established a program to train and organize parenting coordinators in this province. This website contains information about parenting coordination, how to arrange for parenting coordination and who parenting coordination is best suited for, and provides access to our roster of trained and qualified parenting coordinators.

Information for Professionals

The Society was incorporated in September 2009. At a general meeting held on 14 January 2010, the membership voted in the final two directors, bringing the board to its full complement of nine directors, and established five permanent committees, including committees tasked to address:

admissions and membership;
practice standards development and practice reviews;
additional local training sessions and expanding training opportunities into the island and interior;
finance and operations; and,
events and public outreach.

Three issues were identified in particular as priorities for the committees, finalizing the minimum criteria for admission to the roster, arranging for additional training in arbitration and drafting awards, and establishing peer practice support groups. Our first Annual General Meeting is projected for the late fall of 2010 or early spring of 2011.

Click here for more information about parenting coordination and here to review the AFCC's Guidelines for Parenting Coordination (PDF); click here to review our current roster of parenting coordinators.

If you are interested in becoming a parenting coordinator, click here for the directors' contact information.

Information for Parents

Parenting coordination isn't for everyone. In general, parenting coordination works best for parents who already have some kind of permanent arrangements in place about to parenting issues. Parenting coordination is not meant to resolve custody, guardianship and access. Once these problems are solved, whether by a court order or through a written agreement, that's when we can help.

Parenting coordinators help parents deal with day-to-day conflicts about parenting issues on a long term basis, usually for a term of one or two years, with a focus on the children and the children's experience of their parents' conflict. The Parenting Coordination page of this website has a lot more information about parenting coordination, including a couple of papers about parenting coordination. Click here for more information.

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