Rebecca Morisson Law can assist with a variety of family law matters, including:
- Court and litigation proceedings;
- Separation agreements;
- Parenting agreements;
- Alternative dispute resolution
Advocacy for parents and kin navigating child welfare proceedings where the Children’s Aid Society (Family and Children’s Services) is involved. We can help with negotiating voluntary care agreements, safety plans, litigation and court matters, and more. We accept legal aid certificates and can assist on supervision orders, place of safety hearings, in-care, and out-of-care placements such as kin, interim, or extended society care placement proceedings.
Mediation and alternative dispute resolution (ADR) are a growing part of the legal sphere. Rebecca Morisson Law can assist as your advocate as you make your way through an ADR process. These options can often be more cost-effective and less stressful than traditional court proceedings. Some ADR options include:
- Government-subsidized mediation services available through the courthouse;
- Mediation with a private mediator (unsubsidized);
- Arbitration;
- Negotiating out-of-court agreements;
- Parenting coordination.
For some separated parents, creating a parenting plan is only the beginning. Even when a separation agreement or court order clearly sets out parenting time and decision-making responsibility, disagreements can continue to arise about the practical details of raising children between two households.
Rebecca Morisson Law provides parenting coordination services. A parenting coordinator is a neutral professional who works with parents to help them implement and follow an existing parenting arrangement. The focus is generally on resolving day-to-day parenting issues, improving communication, reducing conflict, and keeping the children’s needs at the centre of the process.
Parenting coordination can provide an ongoing framework for addressing these disagreements without returning to court every time an issue arises.
What Is Parenting Coordination?
Parenting coordination is a form of ongoing dispute resolution that may be appropriate for separated or divorced parents who already have a parenting plan, separation agreement, court order, or other formal parenting arrangement in place.
The purpose is not generally to create an entirely new parenting arrangement. Instead, parenting coordination helps parents deal with the practical difficulties that can arise when putting an existing arrangement into practice.
For example, parents may agree on a general parenting schedule but continue to disagree about:
- Pick-up and drop-off arrangements
- Transportation to and from activities
- Holiday and vacation schedules
- Children’s extracurricular activities
- Communication between parents
- Notice requirements for changes to the schedule
- What happens when a child is sick
- How unexpected scheduling problems should be handled
- How to interpret an unclear provision in an existing parenting arrangement
A parenting coordinator can help parents address these issues in a structured way before disagreements become larger conflicts.
What Does a Parenting Coordinator Do?
Depending on the circumstances, a parenting coordinator may:
- Facilitate communication
- Help resolve day-to-day disagreements
- Clarify areas of uncertainty
- Make recommendations where appropriate
Depending on the terms governing the parenting coordination process, the coordinator may make recommendations when parents are unable to reach an agreement. Any authority to make binding decisions must be clearly established and limited by the applicable agreement, order, or legal framework.
The exact scope of a parenting coordinator’s role should always be determined by the applicable parenting coordination agreement or court order.
How Does Parenting Coordination Work?
Although every parenting coordination arrangement is different, the process commonly involves several stages.
1. Establishing the Parenting Coordination Arrangement
The parents establish the terms of the parenting coordination process. This may involve a written parenting coordination agreement and, where applicable, confirmation through a court order or other legal arrangement.
The agreement may address matters such as:
- The issues that can be brought to the coordinator
- The coordinator’s role and authority
- How disputes will be raised
- How communication will take place
- Whether the coordinator can make recommendations or decisions
- Confidentiality
- Fees and responsibility for payment
- The anticipated duration of the appointment
2. Initial Intake and Information Gathering
The coordinator will generally review the relevant parenting arrangements and obtain information from the parents about the issues they are experiencing. Depending on the circumstances, the coordinator may review relevant separation agreements, court orders, parenting plans, or other documents. An initial assessment may also help determine whether parenting coordination is an appropriate process for the family.
3. Establishing Communication Procedures
The coordinator may establish practical rules for communicating about parenting issues. This can include expectations concerning the method of communication, response times, the type of information that should be provided, and how disputes should be brought forward. Having a defined process can help prevent every disagreement from turning into an extended argument.
4. Attempting to Resolve the Dispute
Parenting coordination generally focuses first on helping parents reach their own resolution. Depending on the issue, this may occur through written communication, telephone or video discussions, or meetings with the coordinator. The objective is to find a practical solution that is consistent with the existing parenting arrangement and serves the children’s interests.
5. Recommendations or Decisions, Where Authorized
If the parents cannot reach an agreement, the coordinator’s next step will depend on the authority granted under the applicable parenting coordination arrangement. In some cases, the coordinator may provide a recommendation. In other circumstances, the coordinator may have specifically defined authority to make a determination about an issue.
Is Parenting Coordination Right for Your Family?
Parenting coordination may be worth considering if:
- You already have a parenting plan, separation agreement, or court order;
- You regularly disagree about how to implement the parenting arrangement;
- Communication with the other parent is difficult;
- Small parenting disputes frequently escalate;
- You want a structured process for addressing recurring issues; and
- You would like to reduce the need to return to court over routine parenting disagreements.
Rebecca Morisson Law can help you determine whether parenting coordination is appropriate for your circumstances.
Separation and divorce do not always have to be resolved through a court battle. Rebecca Morisson Law offers collaborative family law services to help you through your legal issues without engaging in the traditional court stream.
Collaborative family law is an out-of-court process that allows separating or divorcing couples to work toward an agreement with the assistance of their own lawyers. The goal is to resolve family law issues in a respectful, constructive way while giving both parties an opportunity to participate meaningfully in the decisions that affect their family. Each party retains their own collaborative family lawyer, and will typically enter into a participation agreement that outlines the parties’ intentions to resolve the issues out of court, with parameters for communications, and a contingency plan outlining what happens if an agreement cannot be reached on all issues.
Rather than having a judge make decisions for you, the collaborative process is designed to help you and your former partner reach your own solutions. The process can address a range of issues arising from separation, including parenting arrangements, child support, spousal support, and property and financial matters. Collaborative family law may offer a number of advantages for families who are able to work together toward a negotiated resolution, including:
- Greater Control
- A More Private Process
- A Focus on Problem-Solving
- Greater Flexibility
- Preserving the Parenting Relationship
- Access to Different Professionals
- Potentially Less Time and Expense
Reach out today to determine if collaborative family law is right for your situation.
Rebecca Morisson Law can assist on your Consent and Capacity Board proceedings or Landlord Tenant Board proceedings with advice, advocacy, and representation.
Rebecca Morisson is a registered social worker (MSW) and lawyer with experience working with children and in voice of the child reporting. If you require a Voice of the Child Report for your case, don’t hesitate to reach out.
A Voice of the Child Report is an independent report that provides the court with information about a child’s views and preferences regarding parenting arrangements. It gives children an opportunity to express their perspective in a neutral, age-appropriate setting, without placing them in the position of having to choose between their parents.
A Voice of the Child Report may be helpful when parents have different understandings of a child’s wishes, when there is disagreement about parenting arrangements, or when the child’s perspective may assist the parents and the court in addressing a parenting dispute.
At Rebecca Morisson Law, Voice of the Child Reports are generally billed based on our hourly rate, with the total cost depending on the number of interviews, the time required to prepare the report, and any additional work that may be necessary. Typically, a report will be quoted at a range of $3,500 to $5,000 depending on the scope of work required. This cost is usually shared equally between the parties.
What Can You Expect From the Process?
A Voice of the Child Report may be completed where the parents agree that a report would be helpful or where the court directs or orders that one be prepared. The scope of the report will be established at the outset so that everyone understands the purpose of the assessment and the issues being considered.
The process generally involves several interviews with the child(ren), conducted privately and using age-appropriate interviewing techniques. The goal is to provide the child with a safe and neutral opportunity to speak about their experiences, relationships, views, and preferences concerning the parenting issues identified for the report. Depending on the circumstances and the scope of the report, it may also be appropriate to review relevant third-party or other information to provide context for the child’s views.
Once the interviews and any agreed-upon information gathering are complete, a written report is prepared. The report is then provided to the parties and, where required, filed with the court for consideration as part of the parenting proceeding.
As a lawyer and registered social worker with experience preparing Voice of the Child Reports, I bring both legal and social-work perspectives to this process. My approach is neutral, child-focused, and designed to ensure that a child’s voice can be heard without making the child responsible for the outcome.