Parenting plan mediation
Parenting Plan Mediation
in Ontario
A parenting plan should help you manage real days, not just describe an ideal arrangement. Forward Family Mediation helps parents discuss the routines, decisions and communication that support their children after separation. Together, you can work toward a plan that gives both homes clearer expectations while allowing for your family's changing needs.
Book your free introductory call to discuss parenting plan mediation. Appointments with Laura are available virtually across Ontario.
Start with what your
children need
Every family's situation is different. A useful parenting arrangement considers your children's ages, school commitments, health needs, relationships and existing routines. It also needs to be workable for the adults responsible for carrying it out.
During mediation, we help you turn broad concerns into specific questions. What happens on a school morning? How will a change in plans be communicated? Who needs to know about an appointment? These details can reveal where expectations differ and where a clearer agreement would help.
What a parenting plan
can cover
Parenting time and everyday routines
Discuss a parenting schedule, handovers, transportation, school attendance and time with important people in your children's lives. Consider ordinary weekdays as well as the days when work commitments, illness or school closures disrupt the routine. There is no single schedule that is right for every child.
Decision-making responsibility
Clarify how decisions about education, health care and other important matters will be made. A plan can describe what information parents will share, how they will consult each other and what they will do if they disagree. Your lawyer can explain the legal meaning and implications of the terms being considered.
Holidays and travel
Discuss school breaks, birthdays, cultural or religious occasions and vacation planning. Think through notice, travel details and how a special arrangement interacts with the regular schedule. Clear expectations are often more useful than an assumption that you will work out the details later.
Communication between homes
Agree on practical ways to share information, raise non-urgent questions and communicate about an emergency. The goal is to support parenting responsibilities while reducing the chance that children become messengers between adults. If you want individual help with communication, you can explore parenting and divorce coaching offered by Susan Cook. Susan handles her own service arrangements and billing.
Reviewing the plan
Children grow, routines change and new questions arise. Discuss when to review your arrangements and how to raise a proposed change. If your arrangements are part of a signed agreement or court order, obtain legal advice before making changes that affect those documents.
A neutral process for difficult conversations
Laura Ferguson is an Accredited Family Mediator with a background of more than 20 years as a family law clerk. She facilitates discussions without taking either parent's side. The aim is to help you consider workable options and keep your children's best interests central.
Separate intake meetings allow each parent to discuss concerns privately. Suitability screening considers safety, intimidation and whether each person can participate freely. Where appropriate, virtual mediation may use shared or separate online rooms. Mediation is not suitable for every family.
A child-focused process does not mean asking children to resolve adult disagreements. If understanding a child's views is a concern, learn about Voice of the Child Reports offered by Susan Cook. Susan can discuss whether that distinct service is appropriate.
Keep parenting and financial questions clear
Parenting arrangements and family finances can affect the same daily routines, but they need careful, separate consideration. Our support mediation service provides a setting to discuss child support and shared expenses using relevant financial information. Avoid treating time with your children as a bargaining tool for financial terms.
Bring useful information to your first meeting
Gather school calendars, activity schedules and any existing parenting agreement or order. Write down what currently works, what causes confusion and what you would like to discuss. You do not need to arrive with a perfect plan or persuade the other parent before contacting us.
For a broader transition involving housing or support, separation and divorce mediation can help organize related decisions.
Common questions
Is this the same as child custody mediation
People still use the phrase child custody when searching for help. In Ontario, current parenting discussions commonly use parenting time and decision-making responsibility. We focus on the practical arrangements your family needs and encourage you to ask your lawyer how the legal terminology applies.
Do we have to agree to equal parenting time
No particular schedule is assumed in mediation. The discussion should consider your children's needs and your circumstances. Legal advice can help each parent understand the options being considered.
Is the plan automatically legally binding
Do not assume a mediation summary is a finalized legal agreement. Each parent should review proposed terms with their own lawyer and arrange appropriate drafting or changes to an existing order.
Make the next conversation more useful
Book your free introductory call to discuss working with Laura on a parenting plan. If you choose to work with Susan on parenting services, all arrangements and billing for her work are handled directly by her and separately from Forward Family Mediation.