John-Paul E. Boyd, KC is an accredited parenting coordinator and has provided services as a parenting coordinator since 2007. He played a key role in establishing the BC Parenting Coordinators Roster Society, the first parenting coordinators’ organization in Canada. John-Paul has written and lectured about parenting coordination, and provided parenting coordination training to lawyers and mental health professionals in both Alberta and British Columbia.
John-Paul takes a child-centred approach to parenting coordination. His primary goal as an parenting coordinator is to resolve disputes about parenting and the interpretation and implementation of parenting orders, awards and agreements directly, quickly and efficiently. His other goals include helping parents learn to: communicate with each other more effectively; place the interests of the children ahead of their own; identify the triggers that escalate conflict and prevent them from settling disagreements; and, resolve disagreements on their own, so that the assistance of parenting coordinators and other professionals is no longer needed.
John-Paul uses a streamlined process and will generally avoid the micromanagement and lengthy review of text messages and email threads that often bog down and escalate the cost of parenting coordination processes. Read about our important communication expectations in the Communication Guidelines page.
Download our Code of Conduct and our current parenting coordination agreements, including our standard parenting coordination agreement and our expedited parenting coordination agreement, from the Participation Agreements page. You can read a bit more about parenting coordination in the How It Works page and learn about our rates from the Fees & Disbursements page.
a caution
The research on parenting coordination shows that the process is effective in reducing the number of times parents find themselves in court once a parenting plan is in place. The research shows that parenting coordination can, over time, reduce conflict between parents and improve parents’ ability to resolve disagreements on their own. However, parenting coordination is neither a cure-all nor an instant fix.
Parents who use parenting coordination typically experience much, much higher levels of conflict than other separated parents. Their conflict tends to be far more intense and longer-lasting, and usually revolves around issues that many other separated parents would be able to resolve, without intervention, in one or two conversations.
Starting parenting coordination doesn’t suddenly make anyone more agreeable or change their opinion of the other parent and their parenting skills, nor does it instantly eliminate the disagreements that are the flash-points of conflict. It can go some way toward these goals over time, but the people who have entered a parenting coordination process are still the same people they were before the process began. It’s important that you keep your expectations in check when you start parenting coordination. Improvement will take time.
expedited parenting coordination
Where the conflict between parents is likely to continue well into the future, we’ve developed a special expedited parenting coordination process that is aimed at the speedy resolution of parenting disputes as they arise.
The primary goal of this process is to resolve disputes as quickly as possible, to minimize cost as well as children’s exposure to their parents’ conflict. The process does not anticipate that disputes will be resolved by agreement and does not include a component aimed at improving parents’ communication and dispute resolution skills.
intake process
Before we agree to take a new case, we ask that each parent complete an intake sheet and provide us with a photograph of their driver’s licence, passport or some other form of photo identification. John-Paul will also need to:
review any parenting assessments that may have been prepared, and any other reports concerning the family and the children, such as child protection reports, police reports, educational reports and psychological reports;
review the court order, arbitrator’s award or separation agreement that sets out the terms of the children’s parenting arrangements;
review any protection orders and undertakings that have been made in civil, criminal or child protection proceedings; and,
meet separately with the parents to identify the sources of their conflict, understand how the parents usually manage conflict, and assess the parents’ overall suitability for the parenting coordination process.
Depending on the circumstances, John-Paul may also need to assess for the presence of family violence and coercive control dynamics, including by referring the parents to an independent agency.
We do not charge for John-Paul’s time in the intake process when we decline to take a new case.
MEETINGS & HEARINGS
Most of the time, communication in parenting coordination conducted by John-Paul Boyd Arbitration Chambers will be by email. Read about our important communication guidelines.
Meetings will usually be held by videoconference or teleconference. In-person meetings, when needed, can be held anywhere in Alberta or British Columbia.
AGREEMENTS & determinations
When a parenting dispute is resolved by the parents’ agreement, John-Paul will prepare a memorandum summarizing the terms of the agreement that has been reached so that everyone has a record of exactly what was agreed to.
Where a parenting dispute is resolved by John-Paul’s determination, he will provide his decision to both parents in writing so that every has has a record of exactly what was decided. The memorandum will summarize the nature of the dispute, John-Paul’s determination of the dispute and his reasons for making that decision.
HEARING FROM CHILDREN
John-Paul will speak to the children as needed when resolving certain disputes in the parenting coordination process. John-Paul may also, in consultation with the parents, arrange for an independent mental health professional to provide an assessment or opinion when necessary for the resolution of a parenting dispute.
reporting
John-Paul will report to the court, an arbitrator or a mediator about the parents’ progress in parenting coordination if there is an order or award authorizing him to do so, or if the parents agree he may report to the court, an arbitrator or a mediator.
PEOPLE WITHOUT LAWYERS
John-Paul provides parenting coordination services for people who do not have lawyers.
Rates, deposits & retainers
John-Paul’s general rate for standard parenting coordination services is $350 per hour, plus GST. His rate for expedited parenting coordination services is $450 per hour, plus GST. When John-Paul is required to travel outside Calgary, which is rare as most parenting coordination meetings are held by videoconference, we charge a flat per diem rate of $500; clients are not otherwise responsible for John-Paul’s travel costs or travel time, and will not be asked to pay for common disbursements such as accommodation, airfare or mileage.
Each parent will be required to provide a deposit and retainer. A retainer is a sum of money provided up front as security for a lawyer’s future fees, and when a lawyer issues an account for their services, they will pay that account from their client’s retainer. Retainers work the same way in parenting coordination processes, and our clients will be asked to replenish their retainers as our accounts are issued and their retainers are depleted. The amount we will ask for usually is based on ten hours’ work plus tax, about $3,675 for standard parenting coordination work.
A deposit works just like a retainer, except it is held back against the possibility that a parent decides to stop replenishing their retainer. This gives us a reserve of time that we can use to finish dealing with an issue before we must stop work. The amount we will ask for usually is based on two hours’ work plus tax, about $735 for standard parenting coordination work.