Dr. Tracy Riley, LCSW

Florida Supreme Court Certified Family Mediator | Qualified Parenting Coordinator | Qualified Social Investigator
3560 Cardinal Point Drive, Suite 103, Jacksonville, FL 32257 | (904) 704-2527 | tracy@tracyriley.com

PARENTING COORDINATION

INFORMED CONSENT & PARTICIPATION AGREEMENT

Purpose and Role of the Parenting Coordinator

Dr. Tracy Riley, LCSW, agrees to serve as the Parenting Coordinator ("PC") in this matter. The PC is a neutral third party and will not align with either parent or either parent's attorney. The PC is not acting as the attorney, therapist, advocate, or individual mental health provider for either parent or the child(ren).

The purpose of Parenting Coordination is to assist parents in reducing conflict, improving communication, implementing the parenting plan, resolving parenting disputes when possible, and minimizing the child(ren)'s exposure to ongoing parental conflict.

The PC may assist the parents in developing, monitoring, implementing, clarifying, or modifying parenting-related arrangements within the scope permitted by the Court Order and applicable law. The PC may meet with the parents individually or jointly and may communicate with attorneys or other professionals when reasonably necessary and appropriate to the Parenting Coordination process.

When the parents are unable to reach agreement, the PC may make recommendations or take other action within the authority granted to the PC by the Court Order and applicable law. Parenting Coordination is not psychotherapy, legal representation, or a custody evaluation. The PC does not represent either parent and does not provide legal advice.

Cooperation and Participation

The parties agree to participate in the Parenting Coordination process in good faith and to comply with reasonable procedures established by the PC within the scope of the Court Order and applicable law.

• Attend scheduled meetings and participate appropriately.
• Communicate respectfully with the PC and with one another.
• Provide information and documentation reasonably requested by the PC.
• Respond to requests from the PC within a reasonable period of time.
• Refrain from involving the child(ren) in adult disputes or using the child(ren) to communicate information between parents.
• Comply with the Parenting Coordination process and the applicable Court Order.

Fees and Billing

The parties agree to pay the PC an hourly fee of $255.00. Billing is calculated in increments of 15 minutes.

The hourly fee applies to professional services including Parenting Coordination meetings, telephone calls, email communications, review of documents and records, preparation of correspondence, communication with attorneys or collateral professionals, professional consultations, review of information submitted by either party, preparation of recommendations or summaries when appropriate, and other case-related professional services.

Prior to beginning the Parenting Coordination process, the parties will be responsible for funding the retainer required by the PC consistent with the applicable Court Order and/or fee arrangement. Fees will ordinarily be allocated between the parties in accordance with the applicable Court Order unless otherwise stated in this Agreement or ordered by the Court.

There are no refunds for professional time already earned or services already rendered. Failure by a party to timely pay required fees may interfere with or delay the Parenting Coordination process.

Meetings

Meetings will be scheduled in advance. The PC may determine whether a meeting will occur jointly, individually, in person, by telephone, or by secure videoconferencing based upon the needs of the case and the issues to be addressed.

Emergency meetings or meetings requested within 48 hours or less will be billed at $355.00 per hour. This rate also applies to meetings requested during evenings, weekends, or holidays.

Late Cancellations and Missed Appointments

Appointments cancelled with less than 24 hours' notice, as well as missed appointments or no-shows, will be billed at the regular hourly rate for the time reserved.

The party who cancels with less than 24 hours' notice or fails to attend a scheduled appointment will be solely responsible for the applicable fee, regardless of the allocation of Parenting Coordinator fees set forth in the Court Order.

If both parties fail to attend a scheduled joint meeting without timely cancellation, each party may be responsible for his or her portion of the scheduled appointment fee.

Communication

The PC may serve as a conduit for information between the parents when appropriate. The PC is not the ally or advocate of either parent. Communications with the PC should focus on parenting issues, implementation of the parenting plan, decision-making, scheduling, communication problems, or other issues within the scope of Parenting Coordination.

If you contact the PC between scheduled meetings, you should not expect an immediate response by telephone or email. Text messaging is strongly discouraged unless specifically authorized by the PC for a particular purpose.

Electronic communication, including email and text messaging, may not be completely secure. By choosing to communicate through electronic means, the parties acknowledge the potential limitations of electronic communication.

Time spent reading, reviewing, responding to, forwarding, documenting, or otherwise addressing case-related communications is billable professional time. The PC may decline to respond to communications that are repetitive, abusive, harassing, unrelated to Parenting Coordination, or otherwise outside the scope of the PC role.

Confidentiality and Limits of Privacy

Parenting Coordination does not occur within the same confidential or privileged framework as psychotherapy. The parties understand that information shared during the Parenting Coordination process may be disclosed when permitted or required by the Court Order, applicable law, or the duties of the Parenting Coordinator.

The parties should not assume that statements or information provided to the PC will remain confidential from the other parent. The PC will exercise professional discretion regarding information obtained during the process and will disclose information only as reasonably necessary, legally required, authorized, or permitted within the PC role.

Nothing in this Agreement prevents or limits the PC from complying with mandatory reporting obligations or other duties imposed by law.

Safety and Mandatory Reporting

The PC will comply with applicable legal and professional obligations concerning mandatory reporting and safety. This may include circumstances involving suspected abuse, neglect, exploitation, or other circumstances for which reporting is required by law. The PC may also take appropriate action when information received during the Parenting Coordination process raises an immediate and serious concern regarding the safety of a child or another individual.

Records and Documentation

The PC will maintain records of professional activities consistent with applicable law, professional requirements, and the responsibilities of the Parenting Coordinator. Records may include the Court Order appointing the PC, participation and fee agreements, dates and types of services provided, communications, documents submitted by the parties or attorneys, professional consultations, significant actions taken, recommendations or correspondence, billing records, and other information reasonably related to the Parenting Coordination process.

The parties understand that Parenting Coordination records are not psychotherapy records.

Use of Virtual Scribe and Technology

The PC may use a HIPAA-compliant virtual scribe or similar secure technology to assist in generating documentation and reducing the need for manual notetaking during meetings. When a virtual scribe is used, session audio may be temporarily processed for the purpose of generating documentation. Recordings used for this purpose are not maintained as part of the Parenting Coordination record and are automatically deleted after processing.

By signing this Agreement, the parties acknowledge and consent to the PC's use of such technology for professional documentation purposes.

Professional and Collateral Communication

The PC may communicate with attorneys and other professionals involved with the family when reasonably necessary to understand or address issues within the Parenting Coordination process and when permitted by the Court Order and applicable law. Time spent on case-related professional or collateral communication is billable at the applicable hourly rate.

Court Involvement, Depositions, and Testimony

The Parenting Coordinator is not a parenting evaluator and is not retained for the purpose of providing expert testimony concerning ultimate legal issues such as custody, parental responsibility, or the determination of a primary residential parent.

If the PC is subpoenaed, ordered by the Court to testify, required to participate in a deposition, or otherwise required to prepare for or participate in legal proceedings, the PC will comply with applicable law and Court Orders. All professional time associated with court involvement is billable, including record review, preparation, attorney communication, document preparation, travel, waiting time, deposition time, testimony, and related follow-up work.

Any separate forensic, deposition, testimony, or court-appearance fee schedule maintained by the PC will apply. The party requesting the PC's involvement may be required to pay the applicable fee or retainer in advance unless otherwise ordered by the Court.

Neutrality and Professional Boundaries

The PC will make reasonable efforts to maintain neutrality throughout the Parenting Coordination process. Disagreement with a parent, challenging a parent's position, making a recommendation adverse to a parent's preference, or holding a parent accountable for conduct does not, by itself, constitute bias.

The PC may establish boundaries regarding the frequency, content, method, and tone of communications. Threatening, abusive, intimidating, harassing, or otherwise inappropriate conduct may result in appropriate action, including limitation of communication methods, notification to counsel, request for Court intervention, or withdrawal when permitted.

Withdrawal or Termination

The PC may seek to withdraw from the Parenting Coordination process when there is good cause to do so. Reasons may include a conflict of interest, inability to maintain neutrality, persistent nonpayment of fees, repeated failure to participate or cooperate, conduct that compromises the integrity or effectiveness of the process, threatening or abusive conduct, a breakdown in the professional relationship that prevents effective service, lack of authority to address the issues being presented, or other ethical, professional, legal, or practical reasons requiring withdrawal.

When appropriate and permitted, the PC will provide written notice of the intent to withdraw and the reason for doing so. Nothing in this provision prevents the PC from seeking more immediate relief or withdrawal when circumstances require it. Termination or withdrawal does not eliminate responsibility for outstanding fees already incurred.

Disclosure of Prior Relationships

The PC will disclose any known prior or current professional, financial, or social relationship with a participant in the Parenting Coordination process when the relationship could reasonably raise a question regarding neutrality or create a conflict of interest.

Acknowledgment and Agreement

I acknowledge that I have reviewed this Parenting Coordinator Informed Consent & Participation Agreement and understand the nature and purpose of Parenting Coordination. I understand that the Parenting Coordinator is a neutral professional and is not serving as my attorney, therapist, advocate, or individual mental health provider.

I agree to participate in the Parenting Coordination process in good faith, comply with reasonable procedures established by the Parenting Coordinator within the scope of the Court Order and applicable law, and provide information and documentation reasonably requested and relevant to the Parenting Coordination process.

I acknowledge that I have reviewed and understand the fee provisions, including charges for professional communications, late cancellations, missed appointments, emergency meetings, collateral contacts, and court-related services. I understand that signing this Agreement does not modify the Court's substantive Parenting Plan or Parenting Coordination Order except as specifically permitted by law or further Court Order.

By signing below, I acknowledge that I have read this Agreement, have had an opportunity to ask questions, and agree to its terms.