What is a Parenting Coordinator?

March 17th, 2024 by Tiffany Hughes

Like most things in a divorce or custody case, there’s often a lot of disagreement between the two parties. Having children just exacerbates this state of disagreement.

What exactly does a parenting coordinator do?

A parenting coordinator is a third-party individual with the goal to ensure the children’s best interests are carried out. While the coordinator’s job varies case by case, they typically help both parties:

1. Resolve Disputes
2. Follow the Parenting Court Orders
3. Carry Out a Parenting Plan
4. Improve Communication
5. Helps coordinate visitations and visitation rights
6. Holiday Scheduling
7. Discipline the children in an appropriate manner
8. Decide on extra-curricular activities for the kids

While a parenting coordinator cannot change a court order relating to your parenting schedule or plan, they can coordinate small changes such as enacting boundaries where a parent takes their child on a visit per the schedule or prohibiting certain topics of conversations in front of/to their kids. This could be instrumental for you and the other parent, as it can save you a lot of time and money spent in Court on litigation.

When does a Parenting Coordinator get appointed or hired in a divorce or custody case?

In Illinois, hiring a parenting coordinator generally is not the first course of action the Court takes. First, mediation is recommended, either by a private mediator or a County mediator. A County mediation service is usually offered at no cost to parties both living in the county (for example Cook County) and below a certain economic threshold. When going through the Cook County Mediation program or any free County mediation program, mediation can take upwards of four months. Private mediation, although not free, can expedite the mediation process significantly depending on the private mediators availability.

If no agreement is made during mediation, the Court can appoint a Child Representative or a Guardian Ad Litem (GAL). This individual is an attorney who functions to represent the best interest of the children. After familiarizing themselves with the case, the GAL or Child Representative will make recommendations to the Court regarding parenting time for both parties and other decisions not reached at mediation. The Judge will either accept these recommendations or not but will enact a court order dictating the ins and outs of what co-parenting is to look like going forward.

When either party fails to follow the instructions of the parenting court order, this is when the parenting coordinator will be appointed. Illinois law says that a parenting coordinator is appointed when:

[O]ne coparent has exhibited or continues to exhibit patterns of violence, threat, intimidation, and coercive control over a coparent, a parenting coordinator may be appointed by the court when deemed in the best interest of the child(ren) due to any of the following:
(1) The coparents have failed to adequately cooperate and communicate about issues involving their children;
(2) The coparents have been unable to implement the existing parenting plan or parenting schedule;
(3) Mediation has not been successful or has been determined by the court to be inappropriate;
(4) The agreement of the coparents; and
(5) For such other reason as the court deems appropriate that does not exceed the authority under this Rule.” Ill. Sup. Ct. R. 909(c)

If this process deems too long or arduous, your lawyers can advocate to skip mediation and appointing a GAL and instead hiring a parental coordinator earlier in the divorce proceedings.

What are the costs of hiring a Parenting Coordinator?

Every parenting coordinator’s costs are different, but in Illinois, they can range anywhere from $200-$400 an hour. The costs of a parenting coordinator are shared between the two parties, although the Court will decide what percentage each party is responsible for.

What are the benefits of hiring a Parenting Coordinator?

1. It could mean returning to court less often
2. It allows an unbiased, third-party individual to give advice and ensure the kids are being taken care of
3. Encourages both parents to be involved in their kid’s lives
4. Promotes healthier communication for co-parenting

What are the cons of hiring a Parenting Coordinator?

There are a lot of benefits but what about the cons of hiring a parenting coordinator? Here are some cons to consider when considering a parenting coordinator:

1. Parenting Coordinators aren’t cheap, much like anything else in a divorce
2. Either party can abuse the process of having a coordinator by drawing out the proceedings and incurring additional, unnecessary costs

I have an active court case, when is the best time to hire a Parenting Coordinator?

Deciding how to parent and making vital decisions in your children’s future is hard enough, let alone with a divorce or custody case in the middle of it all. This is where a parenting coordinator steps in. The goal of any good parenting coordinator is to help both parties put their disagreements aside and make decisions that are best for the children involved without either party running to the Court’s every time there are issues. If you are involved with a volatile co-parent or are in the midst of a divorce or custody case involving one, the sooner the better. Sometimes it benefits to get a parenting coordinator in the early stages of discussing a parenting schedule, especially if you anticipate a lot of back and forth from the opposing party. Speak to your lawyer if you want to skip mediation and hiring a GAL and instead hire a parenting coordinator early on. A parenting coordinator can be appointed by the Court if these criteria below can be proven:

“The Court may appoint a parenting coordinator when it finds the following:

1. The parties failed to adequately cooperate and communicate with regard to issues involving their children, or have been unable to implement a parenting plan or parenting schedule; 
2. Mediation has not been successful or has been determined by the judge to be inappropriate; or
3. The appointment of a parenting coordinator is in the best interests of the child or children involved in the proceedings”

If you think hiring a parenting coordinator is vital to ensuring you can reach an agreement with your spouse, then it might be beneficial to hiring one. However, if a parenting coordinator is not something you wish to have, there may be other options, such as a request to the Court for everyone in your family to attend family therapy to discover the root cause of the disagreements.

What if my case is over but I’m having issues with the other parent? Can I hire a Parenting Coordinator after the fact?

Also, if your case has already finished and issues continue to arise relating to parenting time, decision making or the parenting plan overall,  a parenting coordinator may be a great option for you. When the two parties cannot or will not communicate with one another to make decisions for their children, a parenting coordinator can be appointed by the Court to assist the parties in addressing issues that may come up after a court order is entered and overall help protect the child’s best interest.

Need More Information or Representation?

If you are looking to start a case or are going through divorce or custody proceeding and need more information regarding next steps, including but not limited to, determining if a parental coordinator would be best for you, give The Law Office of Tiffany M. Hughes, P.C. a call today at 773-893-0228 for a confidential, complimentary 30-minute phone consultation or email Tiffany Hughes directly at Tiffanyhughes@thugheslaw.com. Our entire practice is solely dedicated to the area of family law. We are highly experienced in helping individuals litigate their custody cases and divorce cases, including complex matters and contested issues, while protecting their privacy and advocating for their best interests.

About Tiffany M. Hughes, Divorce Attorney, Principal, Managing Partner, The Law Office of Tiffany M. Hughes:

Tiffany M. Hughes is a divorce attorney and Managing Partner of The Law office of Tiffany M. Hughes. Recognized as a Top 100 Lawyer in Lawyers Magazine in 2018 and 2019, Super Lawyer from 2016 to date, and in addition to numerous other accolades, Ms. Hughes represents individuals in all aspects of family and matrimonial law proceedings, including litigation, mediation, allocation of parental responsibility (formerly known as custody), parentage, divorce and other child-related matters.

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This blog is made available by The Law Office of Tiffany M. Hughes, P.C. for educational purposes only as well as to give you general information and a general understanding of Illinois law, not to provide specific legal advice. By using this website you understand that there is no attorney client relationship between you and The Law Office of Tiffany M. Hughes, P.C. The website should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed professional attorney in Illinois.  The law changes constantly and we do not go back in time to edit old posts that may be affected by these changes.  If you have any questions about Illinois law, which is the only State this blog and website discusses, please call The Law Office of Tiffany M. Hughes, P.C. for a complimentary phone consultation and do not draw any legal conclusions without speaking to a competent attorney in Illinois first.