In a nutshell, the VOC ascertains the views and preferences of the child and assesses those according to their strength, consistency over time and whether those views are being influenced by parents or other persons. Children need to be verbally, emotionally and cognitively mature enough to be reliably interviewed. The children’s views, experiences and preferences will help inform the decision-making regarding the parenting plan. There are no detailed custody and access recommendations provided as there are no family observations or collateral information gathered.
Contents
- Benefits of the VOC report
- VOC report process
- Duration
- Cost
- How to get started?
- Download the VOC contract (PDF, 118 KB)
Benefits of the VOC report
- No court order needed
- Faster than a full assessment
- Less intrusive than a full assessment
- Does not require observations or professional/personal collateral information
- Less expensive than a full assessment
- Parents choose the professional to meet with their children
- VOC may be completed prior to physical parent separation to help devise a child-focused parenting plan prior to moving into two separate homes
- VOC may be completed at any point following the physical parent separation to facilitate the development of a child-focused parenting plan
- A VOC can be added to another Lawyer-Mediator’s mediation process to help identify and assess the views and preferences of the child
- Helps negotiations between lawyers progress outside of court
- Focuses on the child’s perspective
- As the child matures and the family changes, parents can obtain an update regarding the child’s views and preferences
- In cases with a child resisting or refusing contact with a parent, the VOC is important to complete prior to initiating reunification counselling
- In evolving family situations, check-in interviews may be scheduled following the VOC to ascertain how the child is feeling about an interim schedule being implemented
- Parents may consider a Simplified VOC if seeking to save on costs. Parents provide a written summary of their concerns and the child is interviewed three times. Parents may choose to opt out of a verbal disclosure meeting and may alternatively choose to only receive a final report.
VOC report process
- Individual interviews with parents at their homes to obtain historical and current context to better tailor interviews with the child and understand the scope of parent concerns.
- Three individual child interviews usually held at school and spaced out over the course of the assessment process. During the COVID pandemic, these interviews may have to take place at parent’s homes with complete privacy. Interviews will alternate between parent’s homes. These interviews will assess the children’s overall experiences and well-being, which include school, social life/supports, sports and extracurricular activities, and family life in both homes. It also assesses their perceptions of family life and parent conflict pre- and post-separation. All of this information provides greater context for their views and preferences concerning the parenting time with each parent, activities, parent contact, etc.
- A verbal disclosure meeting is held with both parents, counsel and mediator (if involved) to disclose the children’s views pre- and post-separation, their preferences, my clinical impressions and an analysis regarding the strength, consistency and independence of the child’s views and preferences. During the COVID-19 pandemic, these meetings take place virtually through Zoom.
- A final report is prepared and submitted to both parents and counsel in the form of a sworn affidavit at the disclosure meeting. In the event of a virtual disclosure meeting, it will be provided as a PDF just following the meeting and an original signed copy will be sent to both parents and counsel. The report will provide a brief summary of the following information: current situation, parent relationship history, parent individual histories/situations, parent concerns and allegations, detailed child information (schooling, health, temperament, routines, activities, sports, discipline, etc.), detailed feedback received from child, and the children’s position in the context of its strength, consistency and independence (meaning whether it is being influenced by one or both parents.
- It is unusual that the VOC cases I have been involved with thus far have proceeded to the point of a trial. If the family ends up at a trial, parents may request or subpoena me to testify. Upon receiving proper notification and having enough time for court preparation, I can be called as a witness at trial by either party. All information collected can be divulged and nothing is kept confidential. The parent requesting me to testify at trial is responsible for covering the cost of preparation time, time at court and travel costs.
NB: Parents may opt to consider a Simplified VOC if seeking to save on costs. With a simplified VOC, parents provide a written summary of their concerns and the child is interviewed three times. Parents may choose opt out of a verbal disclosure meeting and may alternatively choose to only receive a final report.
Please consult the VOC contract for a detailed summary of the process and costs.
Duration
Generally, I aim to complete VOC cases within 60 days from the point of interviewing the parents to the point of holding the disclosure meeting. In order to facilitate the process, parents are asked to be flexible in scheduling their interview times. During my involvement, parents are asked to inform me in advance if their child’s absence from school so that I can avoid needlessly attending the school and charging parents travel fees.
Cost
VOC reports are charged at a rate of $225 per hour (+ HST). A set travel fee is charged for interviews taking place at home or school. A parent can expect that the VOC process typically takes a minimum of 15 hours, but this is dependent on each case (e.g. the number of children in a family). If parent interviews are longer or if parents communicate often, then more time is required.
In order to commence the assessment process, a retainer of $4,000 is required. Parents usually pay through Interac e-transfer but they may also choose to pay by cheque or certified cheque.
Parents may agree to equally split the cost of the VOC or they mutually agree to share the cost in another manner (e.g., proportional to income). The percentage each parent will pay for the cost of the VOC is noted in the contract.
How to get started?
Each parent should complete a VOC contract and provide the appropriate retainer fee. Parents will then be sent a pre-interview questionnaire to complete and dates for parent interviews shall be reserved.