Parent coordination
Parent coordination is a court-ordered process which enforces the resolution of parents’ conflicting plans and priorities regarding their children.
Parent coordination is different from mediation, assessment, and parent co-counseling in that it gives the parent coordinator the authority to decide and enforce parental disputes. If parents cannot or will not agree, the parent coordinator will make the decision for them in order to better serve their children’s overriding needs.
The court will order parent coordination when parents are unable, on their own, to agree on stable, predictable, long-term placement arrangements upon which their children can rely. Parent coordination is also ordered when parents cannot communicate constructively or work together on their children’s behalf.
The parent coordinator…
- Provides co-parent education and counseling
- Coordinates communication with parents who are not on speaking terms
- Negotiates new agreements between parents
- Refers parents and children for special assessment or services
- Arbitrates and decides parental disputes
- Provides follow-up case-management to ensure enforcement of decisions
Deciding parental disputes is a last resort, but it does ensure a prompt, child-centered, and fair arrangement for high-conflict parents who are at an impasse about what is best for their children. enforcement of review of parents’ issues and concerns.
Parent coordination begins with an orientation meeting with both parents. (Parents may bring their attorneys or other advocates if they choose.) This is their opportunity to familiarize the parent coordinator with background information, to describe their children, and to identify other sources of information. They them commit themselves, formally, to participate in the process the parent coordinator lays out for them, which may include office meetings and home visits.
In determining the outcome of a dispute, the parent coordinator reviews…
- Court orders
- Input provided by each parent
- Children’s feelings and opinions
- Relationships among the children, parents, and others with a significant presence in the children’s lives
- Input from other professionals, such as teachers, therapists, physicians, and other evaluators
- Input from close friends and other members of the family
- Law enforcement and human service agency reports
Because of the legal nature of the parent coordinator’s responsibility, the information gathered is not confidential. Parents must sign a release to make information available to the parent coordinator from outside sources.