The PC Process Has Teeth: Understanding Enforcement and Determinations
The Process of Containment and Implementation is the Teeth
Parenting Coordination files may involve court findings or allegations of family violence. Where this occurs, BC caselaw informs that the Parenting Coordinator’s role is not to determine whether family violence occurred, to investigate historical allegations, or to make findings the court has not made or issue conduct-type orders to stop it. Those determinations rest exclusively with the judge.
Where a court order or agreement authorizes Parenting Coordination despite a history of family violence, the PC’s mandate is narrow and forward‑looking: to assist with the implementation of existing parenting arrangements in a structured, neutral, and child‑focused manner, and to manage the Parenting Coordination process so it does not itself become a source of further harm.
The focus is not on the past, but on whether current interactions and the Parenting Coordination process are consistent with the court order and capable of supporting safe, predictable implementation. Parenting Coordination is a process of containment, not adjudication.
Designing a Process That Limits Harm
Family violence in post‑separation contexts is not static. Patterns may evolve into indirect or procedural forms, including delay, obstruction, gatekeeping, or use of legal and professional processes to prolong control.
The skilled Parenting Coordinator does not label or re‑characterize these behaviours. Instead, the PC asseses whether the current patterns of interaction can be managed through structure, clarity, and rule‑based process within the scope of the appointment.
Where possible, this includes:
• tightly defined communication parameters
• clear timelines and formats
• structured information‑sharing
• narrowed issue framing focused on implementation
• limited and purposeful use of facilitation
The objective is not relational repair or emotional resolution. It is containment and forward progress.
Managing Power Imbalances Through Structure, Not Interpretation
Files involving family violence often include power asymmetries. One parent may engage in procedural control or strategic disengagement, while the other may respond with heightened reactivity.
The Parenting Coordinator does not resolve these dynamics through interpretation or insight‑based intervention. Instead, neutrality is maintained by relying on consistent, rule‑based processes applied equally to both parents.
Where appropriate, joint engagement may be replaced with separate or shuttle processes to reduce intimidation, escalation, or performative conflict. These are containment tools, not therapeutic accommodations.
The PC remains attentive to indicators of family violence and is not a substitute for court oversight or judicial determination.
Capacity Guides Process Design
Rather than focusing on labels or fault, Parenting Coordination is guided by practical capacity:
• the ability to comply with boundaries
• the ability to follow structured processes
• the ability to engage in child‑focused implementation
Where capacity is limited, the scope and intensity of the Parenting Coordination process may be adjusted within the limits of the appointment. This may include more directive structure, narrower issue definition, or reduced engagement.
Clinical Support as a Parallel Process
Parenting Coordination is not therapy. Where unmanaged trauma responses or emotional dysregulation overwhelm the process, individual counselling or other clinical supports may be recommended or required as a parallel intervention.
The functions remain distinct. Parenting Coordination remains business‑like, forward‑looking, and focused on implementation.
Determinations as a Contained Tool
Where facilitation does not resolve an issue and delay threatens stability, a Parenting Coordinator may, where expressly authorized, make narrow determinations to implement existing orders.
Such determinations:
• address specific implementation disputes
• do not vary parenting arrangements
• do not re‑adjudicate best interests
• remain reviewable by the court
Their purpose is containment and continuity, not coercion.
When Parenting Coordination Is Working
In these cases, Parenting Coordination can reduce conflict exposure, prevent repeated court appearances, and provide a structured path forward despite a difficult history.
The measure of success is not cooperation or harmony, but whether the process allows the parenting order to function safely and predictably for the child.
Written by Cori McGuire, a Parenting Coordinator with 28 years of family law experience in British Columbia. Cori has many other articles on the parenting coordination process including: When Family Violence Makes Parenting Coordination Non‑Viable, Parenting Coordination in Family Violence Cases, and Obstruction of the PC Process. Further reading by subject is found in our Resource Library.
© 2026 Cori McGuire. All Rights Reserved. Proprietary Workflow.