Child custody cases are often very complex, especially when parents are having trouble working together to come up with terms for the parenting plan that meet the child’s best interests. When this occurs, a parenting coordinator may step in to help the parents.
A parenting coordinator is someone who helps parents to work through their disagreements. This individual is usually a family law attorney or a mental health professional who has undergone special training to handle these job duties.
What types of matters can the parenting coordinator help with?
Parenting coordinators can help with a variety of situations. These include:
- Making small changes to the parenting time schedule or transition plans
- Facilitating vacation and holiday changes
- Coordinating parenting time swaps
- Monitoring and working out the right of first refusal
- Settling minor disputes about daily living points, such as bedtime
- Managing healthcare appointments
- Recommending changes to the court when in the child’s best interests
Parenting coordinators are appointed for a specific term, which varies depending on the case. Typically, this appointment is for one to three years. They must accept the appointment and the parents are required to each pay for the service based on the payment schedule provided by the parenting coordinator.
Every aspect of a parenting coordinator’s job is set by guidelines that come from the state and from the court that issues the order for the appointment. Understanding the scope of their authority and how to work with them for the good of the children is beneficial. Working with someone who’s familiar with parenting coordinators and setting up parenting plans is beneficial for anyone in this position.