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Parenting
Facilitation |
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Parenting
Facilitation is a problem-solving service offered to parents raising
children between homes who seek professional assistance in working
together to keep their children free from the parents’ conflicts.
Parenting Facilitation is a child-centered dispute resolution
service that assists parents in developing and implementing workable
parenting
plans when they are unable to do so on their own.
In order to begin services with families, the following
must be on file for each adult:
• a fully completed
data form
• a completed intake form
• a copy of the court order
• a
consent form
• a
signed copy of the contract with initials on each page
• $450.00 deposit from each parent
For some parents, conflict continues to create distress for them
and their children beyond the divorce. Problems may arise over
issues that are not specifically addressed in their parenting
plan. For example, the parenting plan may say that parents decide
together on extra-curricular activities for their children but
may not indicate how to deal with disagreements about these activities.
When a conflict arises, children often feel caught in the middle.
This situation may put them at greater risk for emotional and
behavioral problems—e.g., poor school performance, anxiety,
uncontrollable anger, and depression.
While divorce itself places children at risk for various psychological
difficulties, research has shown that the strongest predictor
of child maladjustment after divorce is exposure to high levels
of inter-parental conflict, particularly when the conflict is
hostile, aggressive, poorly resolved, and focused on issues pertaining
to the children. In a small % of families of divorce, such conflict
continues at a high level for several years following the formal
divorce decree, and it typically causes the children and the parents
to suffer significant and prolonged psychological distress.
Intense and prolonged inter-parental conflict can also cause problems
for children indirectly. It can impair the ability of each parent
to deal effectively with the children. It can draw the children
into the conflict and disrupt the children’s relationships
with one or both parents. In addition, it can lead to a reduction
in financial support of the children by one or both parents, due
to the financial costs of repeated litigation and one or both
parents becoming less willing to contribute financially.
Even parents who have been able to protect their children from
divorce-related conflict may encounter problems when new situations
arise—e.g., remarriage.
Parenting Facilitators help parents by:
-raising parents’ skill level in collaborative
planning and decision making for their children
-educating parents on co-parenting techniques and issues related
to children growing up between two homes.
-identifying sources of conflict between them and consider ways
to address them
-facilitating communication between the parents and between parents
and others who relate to the children—e.g., grandparents,
school personnel, and therapists
-reducing chronic litigation (and preserve family resources)
-using mediation techniques to deal with specific issues
-applying arbitration procedures in certain defined areas when
parents are otherwise unable to resolve a dispute
-assisting the parents in compliance with court orders
The Parenting Facilitator may do this by reviewing written evaluations
and reports, and talking with other significant individuals involved
with the family (doctors, therapists, school personnel, lawyers,
etc.) The Parenting Facilitator will meet with the parents jointly,
and communicate by fax and email. Home visits may be made to both
parents homes. The Parenting Facilitator can write status reports
to the court as needed and defined in the order, testify in court
and be contacted by other professionals, and will be present during
hearings. The Parenting Facilitator may make recommendations to
the parents.
One of the differences between a parenting
coordinator and parenting facilitator is that of confidentiality.
Facilitators are appointed in a nonconfidential capacity. Texas
Family Code Section 153.6051, defines when and why parent facilitators
may be appointed, their duties and responsibilities, qualifications
needed to serve as such, and compensation.
Costs and payment:
The rate for Parenting Facilitation services is $150 per hour
rounded up to the nearest 15 minute increment. This includes all
services of the Parenting Facilitator including reviewing documentation,
deliberation and issuance of decisions when parents are unable
to resolve issues themselves, meetings, correspondences, phone
contact, email, court time, legal expenses, and consultation with
other family service providers.
Completion of the Children in the Middle
class live or online class is required prior to the first
session.
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