With little or no fanfare to the public
the State of Maine Judicial Branch is asking for comments on the
proposed rules for Parenting Coordinators (Proposed Rules forParenting Coordinators).
A parental Coordinator is a “professional” Court Officer that
comes in as a neutral party in high conflict divorce cases. They act
as a mediator of sorts to help all parties involved to come to
agreement. In theory the idea is well founded. In practice though the
“profession” is wrapped in controversy – much like Guardians ad
litem.
The Supreme Judicial Court is
considering these proposed Rules for Parenting Coordinators.
These rules were drafted and proposed by the Maine Guardian Ad Litem
Institute (the trade organization founded by Toby Hollander - that
promotes the special interests of Guardians ad litem within the state). At the same time there is a bill
submitted by Representative Terry Hayes (D – Buckfield and MEGALI
member) that essentially asks to retain the position of Parental
Coordinators in the Judicial Branch (HP 42). The bill is to repeal
the termination of the current law set for January 1, 2014.
We encourage the public to respond via
email to ( lawcourt.clerk@courts.maine.gov
) in text or as an attachment (pdf). Comments must be filed with the
clerk of the Supreme Judicial Court no later than Friday, January 25,
2013 at 4 pm. We echo the recommendations of the commission that
reviewed these proposed rules – and that is to reject the adoption
of the rules. We have had numerous complaints about the conduct of
Parental Coordinators. Contracts that are unclear and the conduct
that stretches beyond what the original scope of a Parental
Coordinator. If you have questions or concerns about Parental
Coordinators we encourage you to contact us for help and support at
ParentalCoordinatorAlert@outlook.com
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