Parent Coordination

The following information was excerpted from the “Model Standards of Practice for Parenting Coordination,” Developed by The AFCC Task Force on Parenting Coordination, March 2005.

“Parenting coordination is a child-focused alternative dispute resolution process in which a mental health or legal professionals with mediation training and experience assists high conflict parents to implement their parenting plan by facilitating the resolution of their disputes in a timely manner, educating parents about children’s needs, and with prior approval of the parties and/or the court, making decisions within the scope of the court order or appointment contract.

The overall objective of parenting coordination is to assist high conflict parents to implement their parenting plan, to ensure compliance with the details of the plan, to resolve conflicts regarding their children and the parenting plan in a timely manner, and to protect and sustain safe, healthy and meaningful parent-child relationships.[i] Parenting coordination is a quasi legal-mental health alternative dispute resolution (ADR) process that combines assessment, education, case management, conflict management and sometimes decision-making functions.

The Parenting Coordinator (hereinafter referred to as “PC”) role is most frequently and effectively used for those high conflict parents who have demonstrated their longer-term inability or unwillingness to make parenting decisions on their own, to comply with parenting agreements and orders, to reduce their child-related conflicts, and to protect their children from the impact of that conflict. Because the PC makes recommendations and/or decisions for the parties and possibly reports to the Court, the PC should be appointed by and be responsible to the court. This delegation of judicial authority is a serious issue and courts should only appoint qualified professionals. The power and authority inherent in the role of the PC are substantial whether stipulated by the parties or assigned by the court. Therefore, it is important that any jurisdiction implementing a parenting coordination program adhere to standards of practice for PCs.

As the parenting coordination model has been implemented in various jurisdictions, there has been variation in the manner in which the PC practices, the authority of the PC, the stage of the legal process when the PC is appointed and functions, the various roles of the PC, the qualifications and training of the PC, and the best practices for the role.[ii]

[i] In those cases of domestic violence where one parent seeks to obtain and maintain power and control over the other, the role of the PC changes to an almost purely enforcement function. Here, the PC is likely to be dealing with a court order, the more detailed the better, rather than a mutually agreed upon parenting plan; and the role is to ensure compliance with the details of the order and to test each request for variance from its terms with an eye to protecting the custodial parent’s autonomy to make decisions based on the children’s best interests and guarding against manipulation by the abusing parent.

[ii] AFCC Task Force on Parenting Coordination, Parenting Coordination: Implementation Issues, 41 Fam. Ct. Rev. 533 (2003).”

This rapidly evolving model integrates the expertise and practice of highly experienced and trained mental health and legal professionals to assist separated and divorced parents implement parenting plans for the specific purpose of reducing conflict and litigation. Alternative dispute resolution is an important part of “Parent Coordination.” Parent Coordinators provide interventions which should reduce high conflict by proposing compromises and enhancing appropriate conjoint problem solving communication. Parenting plans largely involve issues relating to parenting time, schedules and practices. The work of Parent Coordinators is carefully delineated by the parties with the approval and oversight of the courts.