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Parenting
Coordination |
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Parenting
coordination 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 coordination 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. Unlike parenting
facilitation, parenting coordination is confidential.
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
Please mail, scan, or fax these forms to us.
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 approximately 10% to 15% 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 coordinators 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
-assisting the parents in compliance with court orders
The parenting coordinator 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 coordinator will meet with the parents jointly,
and communicate by fax and email. Home visits may be made if requested
by the court. A parent coordinator as defined by the law can not
testify in court or submit a report into evidence. The only form
of communication that is allowed with the court is for a Parent
Coordinator to report if the process is succeeding and if it should
continue.
Costs and payment:
The rate for Parenting Coordination is $150 per hour rounded up
to the nearest 15 minute increment. This includes all services
of the Parenting Coordinator including reviewing documentation,
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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