FAMILY REUNIFICATION, CO-PARENTING & PARENT-CHILD CONTACT

PHASE ONE

STARTING AT: $1,250.00 + GST (1 Child) / Incidental Expenses / 10.00% Contingency Retainer

Each Additional Child: $240.00 + GST

INITIAL RETAINER REQUIRED: $1,443.75 (FORMAL ESTIMATE TO BE PROVIDED)

ESTIMATED TIMELINE (FROM COMPLETION OF INTAKE PROCESS & DEPENDENT UPON PARTIES): 1-2 MONTHS (PHASE ONE)

Each family has a unique history and make-up, and the concerns or issues presented vary not only with the family as a whole, but for each individual. Ages, personalities, capacity, and conditions (diagnosed or otherwise) all contribute in different ways to the process of family reunification and its outcomes, as well as co-parenting. Leanne’s approach to service is fluid, identifying the various factors at play and preparing a variety of potential solutions for everything from attachment disruptions to co-parenting or blended family concerns, and developing reconnection between a child and a parent and/or to extended family members, such as grandparents, aunts, and uncles. Sometimes, parties and/or their legal counsel may wonder if reunification or co-parenting is even possible, but regardless of the situation, prior to engaging in any reunification or co-parenting efforts, as part of the first phase of service Leanne conducts a high-level assessment which involves a 60-minute interview with each parent and the child(ren) individually (and occasionally together if assessing the parties’ ability to effectively co-parent). These are exploratory in nature and intended to assist in determining whether or not the full family reunification or co-parenting process is warranted or of any use. Following these interviews, Leanne prepares a brief overview and action plan/recommendations and provides these to the parties and/or their legal counsel in a formal document. In some cases, the disconnected parties or their caregiver(s) may be well-justified in their reasoning for maintaining a disconnect, and the parties may justifiably have an inability to co-parent, and this first phase can help determine that. Completion of Phase One is mandatory for all reunification and co-parenting files, and often saves all parties time and money in the long run.

Prior to commencing service, the parties must both complete the intake form, approve a formal estimate, and sign a Professional Services Agreement and Non-Disclosure Agreement. Sample agreements the parties would be expected to sign are available on the Resources page of this site.

Please note that payment of a retainer in-full is required prior to service commencing, and any balances owing upon completion must be remitted prior to deliverables being provided or any continued service taking place.

These services are typically ordered by courts and/or through the parties’ legal counsel/joint agreement. None of these services include mental health assessments. These services follow an entirely neutral process that cannot be swayed or influenced by either parent or their legal counsel. It is important to note that these services do not contain any elements of a Section 211 Parenting Capacity Assessment or Views of the Child Report, do not involve any document disclosure or review of historical information including affidavits, orders, MCFD/RCMP disclosures, etc… and are intended to be future-focused, not used for litigation purposes. Parties and their legal counsel are both encouraged to cease any court activity that may serve to impede or delay these services from successfully taking place or progress being made.

If you have any further questions about these specialized services, please do not hesitate to contact Leanne using the contact form on this site. If this type of service would benefit your client’s case, or if you feel it would benefit your own case, please complete the intake form. Please note that prior to proceeding, both parties must complete the intake form. Family Reunification, Co-Parenting, and Parent-Child Contact services must be consented to by all parents/legal guardians of the child(ren) involved, and in absence of consent or agreement, must be ordered through legal counsel and/or by an order of the court/consent agreement.

PHASE TWO

STARTING AT: $7,500.00 + GST / Incidental Expenses / 25.00% Contingency Retainer

INITIAL RETAINER REQUIRED: $9,843.75 (FORMAL ESTIMATE TO BE PROVIDED)

ESTIMATED TIMELINE (FROM COMPLETION OF INTAKE PROCESS & DEPENDENT UPON PARTIES): 3-4 MONTHS (PHASE TWO) WITH ONGOING SUPPORT FOLLOWING

Following Phase One, families may wish to enrol in a more intensive Family Reunification, Co-Parenting, or Parent-Child Contact service program after high-conflict divorces or separations lead to contact or connection issues with a child or children, estrangement has occurred, or even relocation has affected the relationship(s) between family members and a disconnect has occurred. The process involves active participation from all parties, and the parties themselves must possess the skills necessary to manage the work undertaken while service is being provided. In order to ensure the parties are prepared to enter in to any of these processes, they will have completed Phase One above and will schedule additional introductory sessions which provide further opportunity to assess their individual circumstances and confirm their willingness and ability to proceed.

Prior to commencing service, the parties must both complete the intake form, approve a formal estimate, and sign a Professional Services Agreement and Non-Disclosure Agreement. Sample agreements the parties would be expected to sign are available on the Resources page of this site.

Please note that payment of a retainer in-full is required prior to service commencing, and any balances owing upon completion must be remitted prior to deliverables being provided or any continued service taking place.

A preliminary timeline will be established for conducting sessions and provided to the parties and/or their legal counsel. Please note that given the unique and complex nature of these services, and that they are highly programmed and strictly qualitative, there is no firm completion date. Many factors can contribute to delays or obstruct the process such as: the willingness and cooperation of the parties/legal counsel to participate; the availability and willingness of parties to schedule and attend sessions; court proceedings that may hinder or cease activities; and, timely receipt of documentation and supporting information that may be requested of the parties throughout the process.

Sessions are spaced and mixed according to a specialized clinical approach, and not all types of sessions are necessary in every file. Fewer or additional sessions in each category may be warranted dependent upon progress, number of children involved, and the ages/developmental stages of the children involved, and may involve multiple clinicians under Leanne’s program. The general process for these services is as follows:

1. Phone Call with Legal Counsel for Parties (1 hour x 1 session)

(if applicable, this can take place via Zoom if the parties are not located in Victoria)

2. Introductory Session with Parent/Guardian A (45 minutes x 1 session)

(this can take place via Zoom or Phone if the parties are not located in Victoria)

3. Introductory Session with Parent/Guardian B (45 minutes x 1 session)

(this can take place via Zoom or Phone if the parties are not located in Victoria)

4. Introductory, Rapport Building & Exploratory Sessions with Children (15 or 30 minutes each x 3-4 sessions)

(these can take place via Zoom if the parties are not located in Victoria)

5. Exploratory Sessions with Parent/Guardian A (1 hour each x 4 sessions)

(these can take place via Zoom if the parties are not located in Victoria)

6. Exploratory Sessions with Parent/Guardian B (1 hour each x 4 sessions)

(these can take place via Zoom if the parties are not located in Victoria)

THE FOLLOWING STEPS ARE FOR FAMILY REUNIFICATION/PARENT-CHILD CONTACT FILES – PLEASE SKIP TO CO-PARENTING BELOW FOR AN OUTLINE OF THOSE STEPS:

7. Family Reunification/Parent-Child Contact: Sessions with Parent/Guardian A – Disconnected Parent/Guardian (1 hour each x 2 sessions)