What is a special master in the child custody context?

A special master is someone appointed by the court that both parents must bring their grievances to rather than the Court. The special master is either an attorney or a physiologist if the matter is child custody related only. The special master has the delegated authority to resolve the issues with the parents rather than the parties coming to court on the filing of multiple Request for Orders to modify the custodial arrangement or to obtain their requested relief. For example, mom wants the child to play soccer while dad believe the child is better suited for rugby. The parents would attempt to resolve the matter amongst themselves first. If they are unable to reach a resolution, they would then enlist the services of a special master who would receive all of the information from both parties and then make a decision on the matter. It is I tended to be a less litigious means of resolving a dispute that puts less pressure on the children who are at the center of the dispute.