By H. William Edgar | Edgar & Dow
Los Angeles ordinarily offers confidential custody mediation in which the mediator helps negotiate an agreement without making a custody recommendation on unresolved issues. The court can also use recommending counseling in some cases. The appointment notice and court directions determine what process applies, what materials to submit, and whether the judge may receive a recommendation.
When a Los Angeles custody client says they have mediation next week, I ask to see the notice. A confidential mediation appointment, a court-ordered Parenting Plan Assessment, and a hearing serve different purposes. The notice tells us what to prepare for and whether a recommendation or report is part of that process.
Los Angeles Family Court Services conducts two types of court-ordered Parenting Plan Assessment (PPA). The court’s public materials call them the One-Day PPA and Two-Day PPA, which we refer to in practice as Level 1 and Level 2. The court can also order a separate child interview. Read your order to see which service the judge directed and which custody or parenting-time issues the specialist is to address. Los Angeles Superior Court assessment instructions.
In a PPA, a Family Court Services specialist gathers information, interviews family members, and makes custody and parenting-time recommendations. The court’s brochure also describes an in-person family observation and a meeting to review recommendations before the hearing. The judge decides what to order. Complete the Parent Questionnaire and Authorization for Release of Information as directed, and confirm your interview, observation, and hearing dates. Family Court Services PPA brochure.
Los Angeles judges can appoint a lawyer to represent the child’s interests in a custody dispute. The court may consider an appointment when a dispute is highly contested or prolonged, the child is under significant stress, or the child’s lawyer could bring the court information that would otherwise be hard to obtain. A PPA gives the court an assessment and recommendations. Minor’s counsel represents the child in the proceeding and may participate alongside an assessment. California Rule of Court 5.240.
If you receive an appointment order for minor’s counsel, give it to your attorney and ask how records and communications should be handled. See our guide to minor’s counsel and the Los Angeles Superior Court standing order on minor’s counsel appointments.
Parents can agree on a full calendar or on individual terms. A useful partial agreement specifies which issues are resolved and leaves genuinely disputed issues for the judge. For example, both parents may agree that school is the exchange location when open while disagreeing about who has the second week of winter break. Clarify the fallback when school is closed and how an agreement becomes an order.
Give the judge an admissible record of the child’s routine, the proposed plan, and why it serves the child’s needs. Do not assume the court will learn your position from a confidential mediation discussion. If the court assigned a recommending process instead, review any report and address the specific provisions you dispute. Confirm safety procedures and accommodations directly with the court before attending.
Los Angeles Family Court Services distinguishes confidential mediation from Child Custody Recommending Counseling. Its intake form explains that CCRC information and the report may be shared among the specialist, court, parties, and attorneys while remaining confidential from the public. Read the notice before submitting your materials. Los Angeles Family Court Services intake instructions.
A parent who receives a standard confidential appointment notice may assume that telling the mediator about a disputed school decision is enough. The parent should also present the dispute and requested relief through the filed court papers. If the notice instead refers to recommending counseling, ask when the written material is available and how the judge will receive it.
A parent assumes Los Angeles uses the same process as a prior case in another county. Their notice describes confidential mediation, and they have prepared an oral explanation but no clear court proposal.
Read the notice and court materials for the assigned service. Put the facts and requested relief in the filed papers where appropriate. In the appointment, prepare to discuss the ordinary week and specific exceptions. If the assignment is recommending counseling, ask counsel how to review and respond to the recommendation.
A partial agreement can help resolve immediate logistics while the court decides a disputed school or relocation issue. Specify which terms are settled, when they start, and what needs a hearing. Check the signed court order before changing an existing schedule.
We arrange a preparation session before custody mediation or recommending counseling when we represent a parent in the case. We review the signed order and the proposed schedule, then practice explaining what the parent wants and why it fits the child. In recommending counties, that preparation matters because the counselor may make a recommendation on unresolved issues.
Good preparation includes both what to say and how to say it. Lead with the child’s actual week and one or two facts that explain the requested change. State the time, place, and transportation terms you are proposing. A well-drafted Request for Order is equally important. It gives the judge a specific request and supporting facts, whether the appointment ends with an agreement, a recommendation, or issues for the judge to decide.
If the parties agree on weekday pickups, identify the exact days, school release times, and closure fallback. State whether the terms are proposed for immediate approval and reserve genuinely disputed issues, such as summer or a school transfer.
Review the current court notice and website because appointment and submission procedures may vary. If you do not know what was assigned, ask Family Court Services before sending documents or assuming how the information will be used.
When the statutory requirements are met, Family Code section 3044(h) requires the court to tell the parties about the statute and provide a copy before custody mediation. Noble v. Superior Court (2021) 71 Cal.App.5th 567 discusses that notice duty. If a court has made a qualifying finding, the custody presumption raises a separate question. See our guide to domestic violence and child custody.
Explore the California Child Custody and Visitation Library for more guides on county mediation and recommending counseling.
Parenting Plans by Age in Los Angeles County
What Happens at Confidential Child Custody Mediation in Orange County?
What Is Minor’s Counsel in a California Custody Case?
How Do I Prepare a Request for Order and Declaration in a California Custody Case?
What happens at a contested custody trial
If you have a Los Angeles mediation or assessment coming up, contact Edgar & Dow to schedule a consultation. Bring the current orders, the facts affecting your child, and the next deadline so we can assess what relief fits your case.
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