What Does a Parent Coordinator Actually Do? A Maryland Parent Coordinator Explains
If a therapist, an attorney, or a court order has put the phrase "parent coordinator" in front of you, the natural next question is what one actually does. Not the definition on a court website. The day-to-day.
A Maryland parent coordinator (PC) is an impartial professional, typically a licensed mental health professional or an attorney with mediation training, who works with two co-parents to reduce conflict about their children, help them communicate, and resolve day-to-day disputes about parenting decisions. The role is governed by Maryland Rule 9-205.2 and is used most often in high-conflict cases across Howard County, Anne Arundel County, and the rest of the state where mediation has not worked or is not appropriate. My earlier post, Parenting Coordination in Maryland: What You Need to Know, introduced the concept. What follows is a working explanation of the role from Maryland family law attorney, mediator, and parent coordinator Jessica Zadjura.
What Does a Parent Coordinator Actually Do in Maryland?
A Maryland PC provides the specific services set out in Maryland Rule 9-205.2(g). The core of the role is helping two parents who cannot agree on their own reach agreement, reduce the conflict their children experience, and stay out of court for issues that do not require a judge.
The Rule lists the services concretely. If there is no operative custody or visitation order, the PC can help the parents develop an agreed plan for custody and visitation. If there is an operative order, the PC can help the parents interpret and comply with it, resolve disputes about how the order applies to a specific situation, and make joint recommendations to the court for any changes to the order. The PC educates the parents on making and implementing decisions in the best interest of the children, helps them develop guidelines for appropriate communication, and helps them change behavior patterns that cause conflict.
Two additional powers are important. If the PC becomes concerned that a party or a child is in imminent physical or emotional danger, the PC is required to report that concern to the court. In narrow circumstances discussed below, the PC may also decide minor and temporary changes to the child access schedule.
In practice, a typical engagement begins with an intake meeting where the PC reviews the custody order or parenting plan, learns the family’s history, and sets the scope of the work. From there, the PC becomes the point of contact when disputes come up. A parent sends a message about a conflict. The PC responds, usually within a defined window, and schedules a call or meeting. The parents talk through the issue. The PC helps them identify what they actually disagree about, surface options, and reach an agreement. The agreement gets documented in writing. The next dispute comes up. The process repeats.
Over months or years, the pattern of conflict often changes. Parents learn what triggers disputes.
They develop language for raising issues without escalation. They stop needing the PC for the small things. That is the work.
How Is a Maryland Parent Coordinator Different From a Mediator or Therapist?
A Maryland PC is neither a mediator nor a therapist. Under Maryland Rule 9-205.2, the role is defined as distinct from both, even though the PC uses some techniques from each.
A mediator helps parties reach a single agreement on a defined set of issues. A therapist treats individuals or families. A Maryland PC works with the same two parents over time on recurring parenting disputes, and the role is often highly structured and directive in style, according to the Maryland People's Law Library.
Three practical distinctions matter for anyone entering a Maryland parent coordination engagement.
First, communication with a PC are not confidential. This differs from therapy. If the PC is called to court, the PC may testify as a factual witness. Beyond that testimony and the mandatory report of imminent danger, the PC may not communicate with the court or court staff about the case.
Second, the PC does not have a therapeutic role. The PC is not there to work on either parent's emotional processing of the divorce, treat mental health concerns, or provide individual support. Those needs belong with a therapist. A good Maryland PC will refer a parent to appropriate individual care when it comes up.
Third, the PC does not represent either parent. Impartiality is a defining requirement of the role. A PC who begins to advocate for one parent is not doing the job the Rule contemplates.
When Can a Maryland Parent Coordinator Make Decisions?
By default, a Maryland PC does not make binding decisions. The parents decide. When the parents cannot decide, the PC helps them work through the disagreement, but the decision still belongs to the parents. If the parents cannot resolve the issue through coordination, they can present it to the court.
The exception is narrow and important. Under Maryland Rule 9-205.2(g)(9), a PC may decide a post-judgment dispute by making a minor and temporary modification to child access provisions if the court order or judgment authorizes such decision-making and the parties have agreed in writing or on the record that the PC may do so.
The types of changes this covers are small and specific. Changing a pick-up time from 5:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Adjusting a parent's access time to accommodate a graduation party or a funeral for a relative. Temporarily swapping a mid-week visit to a different day. These are the changes the Rule contemplates.
What a Maryland PC with full decision-making authority cannot do is make material or permanent changes to the custody schedule, choose the children’s pediatrician, make medical decisions, decide what school the children will attend, or choose a daycare provider. Those decisions belong to the parents, or if the parents cannot agree, to the court.
The reason for the narrow scope is stated in Maryland Rule 9-205.2 itself: parents retain the power and responsibility to make decisions about their children’s wellbeing. This scope-setting principle is one of the most important parts of any parent coordination engagement. The more detailed the settlement agreement, parenting plan, or custody order is about the PC's responsibilities and scope of services, the better the expectations are set for everyone involved. A well-defined scope tells the PC where the boundaries of the role sit, and that clarity produces better outcomes for the parents and the children.
Who Qualifies as a Parent Coordinator in Maryland?
Maryland Rule 9-205.2(c) sets specific qualifications for parenting coordinators. The requirements are more rigorous than many parents expect.
Court-eligible Maryland PCs must hold a postgraduate degree in a mental health field or a professional degree in law. If the underlying profession requires a license (attorneys, licensed psychologists, and similar), the PC must maintain a current license. In addition to the degree, the PC must complete at least 20 hours of training in family mediation and at least 40 hours of specialty training in topics including parenting coordination, conflict coaching, high-conflict family dynamics, child development, parenting skills, family violence dynamics, problem-solving techniques, and the effects of divorce on parents and children. The PC must also have at least 3 years of post-degree professional experience in a field related to the tasks involved in parenting coordination.
These qualifications matter because the role requires both the legal structure of a custody order and the psychological dynamics of two people in conflict raising children together. A PC with a strong background in one but weak in the other is often less effective than the parents need.
Across Maryland, most court-approved parent coordinators are either attorneys with mediation training or licensed mental health professionals who have added the specialty training and experience required by the Rule.
How Are Parent Coordinators Engaged in Howard and Anne Arundel Counties?
A Maryland PC can be engaged in one of two ways, whether the family lives in Howard County, Anne Arundel County, or anywhere else in Maryland.
First, the parents can agree in writing to engage a PC as part of our parent coordination practice.
No court approval is required. The parents and the PC sign an engagement agreement that sets the scope, fees, communication expectations, response windows, and cost allocation. This pathway works for parents in Columbia MD, Annapolis MD, and throughout Howard and Anne Arundel Counties who want to address recurring parenting disputes without opening a court case, or who want a PC in place after a court case has closed.
Second, under Maryland Rule 9-205.2(f), a court can appoint a PC on its own motion or at the request of either or both parties. The court-appointment pathway takes longer but does not require both parents to agree. Court appointments can last up to 2 years and may be extended by written agreement.
What Does It Cost to Work With a Maryland Parent Coordinator?
Parent coordination fees in Maryland vary by professional and case complexity. Most PCs bill hourly, and the parties typically share the cost.
For court-appointed Maryland PCs, the court decides which party pays and may divide the cost based on the parties' financial resources. The court-appointed PC cannot charge or accept a higher fee than what the court allows. Health insurance generally does not cover parent coordination costs.
For engagements by written agreement, the PC sets the fee, and the parties agree to it in the engagement agreement.
Scope-setting affects total cost as much as it affects quality of outcome. A poorly defined scope at the outset of a parent coordination engagement can lead to a process that expands well beyond what the parents needed and costs significantly more than necessary. A clear scope at the start of an engagement usually produces lower total cost, cleaner outcomes, and a PC who stays in the role the parents actually need.
Related Reading
If you are working through a specific summer custody dispute right now, my post Summer Custody Disputes in Maryland: When to Call a Parent Coordinator covers the practical side of using a PC for the recurring seasonal conflicts that come up between Memorial Day and Labor Day. This post covers what a PC does year-round.
Frequently Asked Questions
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A Maryland parent coordinator is an impartial mental health professional or attorney with mediation training who helps two co-parents reduce conflict, communicate effectively, and resolve day-to-day disputes about their children. Under Maryland Rule 9-205.2, the role includes helping parents develop or interpret parenting plans, educating parents on child-focused decision-making, developing communication guidelines, and, in narrow circumstances, deciding minor and temporary changes to the child access schedule. Parent coordination in Maryland is used most often in high-conflict cases and in cases where the parents have difficulty making joint decisions about their children.
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Generally, no. A Maryland parent coordinator may decide minor and temporary modifications to the existing child access schedule only if the court order authorizes such decision-making and the parties have agreed in writing that the coordinator may do so. Even with that authority, the coordinator cannot make material or permanent changes to the custody schedule, choose the children's pediatrician, make medical decisions, choose a school, or select a daycare provider. Those decisions belong to the parents or, if the parents cannot agree, to the court.
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No. Parents in Maryland can engage a parent coordinator by written agreement without any court involvement. Under Maryland Rule 9-205.2, court approval is not required when the parties agree on their own. Alternatively, under Maryland Rule 9-205.2(f), a Maryland court can appoint a parent coordinator on its own motion or at the request of either parent, even if the other parent objects. Zadjura Family Law works with families across Howard and Anne Arundel Counties on both pathways.
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No. Unlike a therapist or an attorney, a Maryland parent coordinator does not have a confidentiality privilege. The Maryland People’s Law Library confirms that parent coordination is not confidential. A coordinator may testify at a court hearing as a factual witness, and if the coordinator becomes concerned that a party or child is in imminent physical or emotional danger, the coordinator is required to report that concern to the court.
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Parent coordination in Maryland is most effective for high-conflict co-parents who have difficulty communicating about their children, cannot agree on substantive parenting decisions, or have complex child-related issues requiring case management. In Maryland, it is often used when mediation has not been effective or is not appropriate (for example, in cases where domestic violence has been alleged and mediation was not ordered). Maryland family law attorney Jessica Zadjura works with families in Howard County, Anne Arundel County, and throughout Maryland to determine whether the role fits their situation.
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Court-appointed parent coordinator engagements in Maryland can last up to 2 years under Maryland Rule 9-205.2 and may be extended by written agreement of the parties. Engagements by written agreement between parents can last for any duration the parties choose. In Maryland, most families use a parent coordinator for 1 to 2 years after an initial contested custody case and then either extend the engagement or transition out of it as the co-parenting relationship becomes more stable.
The Bottom Line
A Maryland parent coordinator is not a substitute for the parents' authority over decisions about their children. The role provides structure and impartial support to help two co-parents work through recurring disputes without returning to court every time. For families where the role fits, it is one of the more effective tools available in Maryland family law.
If you are considering parent coordination in Maryland, or have been referred to the process by a court order or an attorney, a consultation is the right next step. Schedule a consultation with Zadjura Family Law to talk through your situation.
Jessica Zadjura is a Maryland family law attorney, mediator, and parent coordinator with 15 years of experience. She is the founder of Zadjura Family Law LLC, serving clients across Howard and Anne Arundel Counties.
