Catherine Reid, RSW / Private Parenting Plan Evaluations, Voice of the Child Reports, and Court-Involved Family Services

I am a Registered Social Worker with more than 30 years of experience working with children and families. My private practice focuses on court-involved parenting matters, including Section 30 Parenting Plan Evaluations, Voice of the Child Reports, and focused consultation in complex separation and divorce matters.

My work is thorough, balanced, child-focused, and designed to assist families, counsel, and the court in understanding children’s needs, parenting arrangements, decision-making issues, and parent-child relationship concerns.

In addition to my private practice, I am a Clinical Investigator on the Clinical Panel for the Office of the Children’s Lawyer, Ministry of the Attorney General. I conduct Section 112 assessments and provide clinical assistance in parenting and decision-making matters before the court.

When families separate, parents are rightfully concerned about the welfare of their children and the continuity of the parent-child relationships.  When an agreement cannot be reached and/or there is high conflict, an understanding on Decision-Making (custody) and Parenting Time (access) can be difficult.  This is when a Parenting Plan Assessment can be very helpful when so much is at stake.  With a Parenting Plan Assessment, recommendations can be made to help you overcome your differences and consider your children's best interests, first and foremost.  A sec. 30 order pursuant to the CLRA is preferable.

A Voice of the Child Report is a short report based on the Views and Preferences of the child(ren) with respect to their unique experience post-separation.  There are no recommendations made and it is not a full assessment.  The report is based on two to three in-person interviews with your child(ren).  This is helpful when issues between yourself and ex-spouse are relatively focused, the child(ren) is pre-teen/teen and/or there are no complex clinical issues.  A court order is preferable for this report.

Parent-child contact problems are complex and require a structured, family-based approach. Multi-Faceted Family Therapy / Reunification Counselling is intended for court-involved or separated families where a child is reluctant, resistant, or refusing contact with a parent, and where the parents have agreed or have been ordered to participate in a therapeutic process.

The goal of the intervention is not to determine whether contact should occur. Rather, when reunification counselling is appropriate, the focus is on helping the child and family move toward healthier parent-child relationships, improved emotional adjustment, and more effective parenting and co-parenting.

This work requires the participation of all family members. Sessions may include individual meetings with the child and each parent, parent-child sessions, co-parenting sessions, sibling involvement where appropriate, and whole-family sessions. The preferred parent’s participation is essential, as parent-child contact problems are systemic and cannot usually be addressed through work with only one parent or the child alone.

Multi-Faceted Family Therapy draws from cognitive behavioural, solution-focused, and psychoeducational approaches. Parents are expected to participate actively, complete between-session tasks, review educational materials, and support the treatment plan. In many cases, more than one session per week may be required, particularly during the first 6 to 12 weeks.

Following a preliminary screening call with counsel and completion of referral forms by both parents, a Clinical Intake Consultation is conducted to assess suitability of reunification counselling and establish the treatment plan.

Counsel may contact me to discuss availability, timelines, estimated cost, and the suitability of a Section 30 Parenting Plan Evaluation, Voice of the Child Report, or focused clinical consultation.

Where a court order is required or preferable, I can review the proposed terms of appointment and identify the information required to begin the process, including pleadings, prior orders, relevant disclosure, school information, medical/developmental records, child protection information, and collateral contacts where appropriate.

Depending on the service, the process may include interviews with parents, interviews with children, parent-child observations, collateral contacts, document review, and written reporting. The scope of the work is determined by the type of referral, the court order or consent of the parties, and the issues identified.