Parenting coordination: what it is, what it can do, and why it matters
You have a parenting plan. You have a court order. But the disputes keep coming — and going back to court every time is exhausting, expensive, and slow. Parenting coordination is a child-focused dispute resolution process under BC's family law legislation designed to resolve implementation disputes without repeatedly returning to court. A Parenting Coordinator works within your existing agreement or order to make binding determinations on day-to-day issues: scheduling conflicts, activity disagreements, communication breakdowns, and the hundred small decisions that become battlegrounds after separation. This website is a public education resource exploring how parenting coordination works, what it can and cannot do, and the practical realities of implementing parenting plans in high-conflict situations. It reflects the professional observations and experience of Cori L. McGuire — a BC Parenting Coordinator and family lawyer with nearly 30 years working alongside separating families. Parenting coordination is an evolving profession. Practitioners differ in their methods, philosophies, and techniques. The ideas here represent one practitioner's perspective, offered as a contribution to the ongoing discussion about what helps families move from recurring conflict toward successful implementation.
Structure first
Many parents understand the parenting plan and know what the research says. But conflict has a pull all its own. The story of who was wronged can be harder to let go of than the conflict itself. Recognizing that pattern is the first step. What comes next is the work. Ask your prospective parenting coordinator about their clear processes, predictable communication systems, and defined decision-making pathways that make implementation possible. Education and coaching work best when they're built on that foundation. The article below explores why some disputes resist resolution no matter how hard everyone tries. It addresses recurring patterns that keep families stuck despite parenting courses and mediation, and explains why structure is where lasting change begins.
The conversation about parenting coordination is happening right now. Pull up a chair.
More than 80 articles on communication breakdowns, decision-making deadlocks, conflict containment, and the practical realities of implementing parenting plans. No paywall. No agenda. Just clear, grounded writing from decades of front-line experience.
Why you keep having the same fight — and what neuroscience says about breaking the loop
Conflict escalation isn't a character flaw. It's a pattern your brain learns. These articles unpack the science behind reactivity — and give you a way out.
The skills that outlast the parenting coordination process
Coaching isn't therapy and it isn't mediation. It's the practical toolkit — parallel communication, containment strategies, managed consultation — that parents carry forward long after the file closes.
The cost question nobody answers
Parenting coordination can be expensive — or it can be contained. The difference is in the structure. Learn how to ask for a well-designed process that eliminates billable chaos before it starts, and why every communication that doesn't advance consultation should not be sent.
They hear it. They always hear it.
Children don't need to be in the room to absorb the tension. These articles offer concrete, realistic ways to protect your kids from the emotional fallout — without pretending the conflict doesn't exist.
Reading, bullying, school choice, and the graduation truce
Practical guidance on the school-related disputes that come up most often for separated parents: choosing a school, responding to bullying, teaching your child to read, and the myth of the graduation truce.
Hockey practice shouldn't require a court application
When Tuesday-night soccer becomes a recurring dispute, the child loses — every time. Practical guidance on keeping activities where they belong: in the child's life, not in the conflict.
7 years, 4 seasons, one workable plan
Spring break swaps, holiday handoffs, summer transitions — parenting coordination helps families build scheduling systems that survive real life, not just the first year.
Secret recordings and co-parenting trackers aren't evidence — they're a symptom
Most co-parents think more data means more protection. But surveillance between parents rarely helps a child feel safe. Learn what transparency actually looks like.
When the parenting plan doesn't have a page for this
Gender identity, neurodiversity, Indigenous heritage, school choice — these issues don't fit neatly into standard provisions. In-depth articles explore how the best-interests analysis applies when the question is genuinely complex.
The quiet of a child who stops asking
Resistance, refusal, and alienation don't always look like arguments. Sometimes it sounds like nothing at all. Learn to recognize what silence is really saying — and what to do next.
Your dispute doesn't need a judge. It needs a decision.
Parenting coordinators don't mediate forever — they make binding determinations when consultation stalls. Here's how the process moves an issue from deadlock to resolution, step by step.
Appointing a Parenting Coordinator: a guide for the BC judiciary
A concise reference on the terms used to delegate parenting coordination authority under the *Family Law Act*, with suggested wording for court orders.
When the ink stops holding
Parenting coordination has real boundaries. Family violence, eroded trust, or refusal to participate — knowing when the process is no longer viable protects everyone involved.
One perspective. One conversation. Your own path.
Everything on this site reflects one practitioner's experience — not a universal model. Parenting coordination is evolving. Take what's useful, question what isn't, and join the discussion about what helps families move from recurring conflict toward successful implementation. Parenting Coordination is a structured, child‑focused dispute‑resolution process designed to help parents implement existing parenting orders or agreements when ongoing conflict makes direct co‑parenting unworkable. It is not therapy. It is not advocacy. It does not re‑litigate the past or redesign parenting arrangements. The process operates only where a Parenting Coordinator is appointed by court order or written agreement. Its scope, authority, and limits are defined in advance and explained as part of intake. Parenting Coordination focuses on containment, predictability, and forward movement so children can stabilize within the parenting arrangements already in place. Families often turn to Parenting Coordination when: • Communication has collapsed • Parenting decisions cannot wait • Informal agreements no longer hold • Court involvement has become frequent or inevitable The goal is not perfection. The goal is a process that works.
Let's talk practically — not in theory
Call or email Cori L. McGuire directly. No forms. No gatekeepers. Just a direct conversation about whether parenting coordination fits your situation.
