We accept new parenting coordination clients at our Wheaton location based upon personal referral or referrals from family law attorneys, mediators, mental health providers, divorce professionals, and the court system. Learn more about our parenting coordination services below.

What is Parenting Coordination?

Parenting coordination is an alternative dispute resolution service for parents who are unable to resolve parenting disputes on their own or through the judicial system. Retaining a parent coordinator significantly helps high-conflict parents remain out of court, develop workable parenting plans, and implement parenting responsibilities for improved co-parenting. Developing and implementing successful co-parenting plans and responsibilities greatly reduces stress and dysfunction for children and increases keeping both parents active in a child's life.

Read more about the guidelines for parenting coordination here. To schedule a free parenting coordination introductory telephone call, read more below. 

What can I expect from a Parenting Coordinator?

Parents that work with our Wheaton based Divorce and Parenting Attorney, Erin Birt, receive the following services:

• Educating parents on a child's stage of development and the effect on the child due to high conflict parenting, divorce, separation, and exposure to the divorce court system;
• Teaching and using effective communication skills and parenting conflict resolution techniques;
• Ensuring the safety of all family members by regularly screening for impairments to successful co-parenting;
• Monitoring compliance with divorce or parenting court orders, visitation orders, custody orders, or other parenting time agreements;
• Acting as a binding arbitrator  and decision maker per agreed orders or written consent of the parents;
• Receiving up to date information due to our Parenting Coordinator's continuing education training and presenting on topics related to divorce, parenting, addictions, mental health issues, mediation, drafting parenting plans, and alternative dispute resolution;
• Providing referrals within our vetted network of proactive divorce or parenting professionals such as a Divorce Coach, Divorce Financial Analyst, Family Mediator, Attorney, & Family Mental Health Professional.

Does the Parenting Coordinator Help Draft Documents?

Our Parenting Coordinator drafts and provides our parents with a monthly or annual parenting schedule analysis and calendar complete with color-coded labeling of each parent's scheduled parenting time and a statistical breakdown of each parent's scheduled parenting time.  Our Parenting Coordinator will also draft parenting plans, visitation orders, and custody agreements as well as modification orders of same to be used by the parents or attorneys for court entry to help manage litigation and court costs.

Contact us today to start a new beginning for your child. It is never too late to start implementing positive parenting and create a bright future for your child. Download our parenting coordinator flyer for additional information or to share with your co-parent.

What Things Can a Parenting Coordinator Help With?

PC's help facilitate, educate, and mediate the day to day issues that cause conflict. As a PC Erin will help you focus on the following:

(1) the time, place, and manner for the pickup or drop-off of the child(ren) in relation to the coparents' designated parenting time or nonparent visitation;  

(2) disputes regarding the extent and nature of the child(ren)'s participation in existing educational and extracurricular activities, including payment of expenses;  

(3) minor alterations of parenting time or nonparent visitation to accommodate changes in schedule or availability of the child or a coparent, including make-up time if permitted by prior court order;  

(4) holiday scheduling;  

(5) discipline and problematic behavior issues;  

(6) health and personal care issues; and  

(7) any other specific issues assigned to the parenting coordinator by the court or agreed by the coparents that does not exceed the authority under court and state rules.

Cost and Fees of our Parenting Coordinator:

Erin Birt's private client retainer is $1750 per person and her services for PC work is $300 per hour ($150 per person). Clients received monthly detailed invoices. We accept credit cards, cash, personal checks and offer payment plans via ClientCredit.

For Court Ordered clients, the Court will establish the retainer and hourly rate, so please check your court order.

How Do We Get Started?

If you are not located in Illinois and wish to have private services, both parents will need to agree and sign a private consent agreement.

In Illinois, if your case has been in court, a court order must be prepared and signed by the parties. We can provide a court order template if your attorneys or county does not have a standard Parenting Coordinator Court Order form. The parties or the attorneys need to then submit the order as an agreed order to the court for the judge's signature. Once our office receives a copy of the signed court order, we will provide you with the next steps to get started.

If your case is not in court, but has been in the past, you can still submit an agreed order to the court to memorialize your agreement to use a Parenting Coordinator.

If you have never been in court, please contact us to discuss similar alternative services and, at a minimum, a service contract will be required before we get started. Both parents will need to sign a private consent agreement.

PC services start upon a signed services agreement, a court order (if needed), and the payment by both parties of their portion of the retainer.

Ready to Start Parenting Coordination Services?

Contact our office to schedule a free 15-minute introductory telephone call or submit your information via our Contact Form. 

Due to the increased need for regular communication for parenting matters, our Parenting Coordinator regularly meets with parents in-person, remotely via the telephone, email, and Zoom. We know how busy parenting can be and therefore we try to save our parents time when possible by offering remote and virtual appointments.

Erin Birt meets with PC clients in person, if requested, via Zoom (most common), and she communicates by telephone and email (most frequently). Our office will either set appointments as needed, or Erin will send parents a list of recommended appointments to prioritize.

Contact Us Today (630) 891-2478 or use the scheduling button above to get started.