Separated parents face the challenge of working together to raise their children. When parenting orders get made, or a parenting agreement gets settled, it doesn’t always mean that conflict between parents is over. In fact, it’s often the beginning of new conflicts.
And it’s usually not the big stuff that causes conflict. It’s negotiating the little things that causes many arguments. Like changing a normal hand-over time to allow a child to attend their friend’s birthday party. Or discussing what you both consider to be a healthy dinner for your children.
Shared parenting relies on effective communication. If there was conflict and poor communication before you separated, it will likely continue in your post-separation parenting as well.
And it all leads to unnecessary stress on children. They feel caught up in the middle of two parents who fight over the smallest things.
That’s where a Parenting Coordinator can make a world of difference.
Looking for a Parenting Coordinator?
Call or email our friendly team to get you started with a Parenting Coordinator.
How Does Parenting Coordination Help?
Parenting Coordinators help separated parents by:
Providing education about the impact of parental conflict on children
Teaching parents how to communicate and resolve conflicts
Helping negotiate the issues that come up as parents try to follow their parenting plan
And that’s good for the children. It provides a more peaceful home environment and reduces stress. And, most importantly, allows them to maintain strong relationships with both parents.
How Does Parenting Coordination Work?
The goal of parenting coordination is to help separated parents manage their shared parenting arrangements. A Parenting Coordinator educates parents and guides them to:
- Communicate effectively
- Put the needs of their children first
- Peacefully resolve conflict
- Comply with parenting orders or parenting plans
The process begins with both parents agreeing to engage a Parenting Coordinator. After the agreement is in place:
- Individual sessions are conducted with each parent, before progressing to join sessions. If there are any safety concerns or other concerns, joint sessions can be held without requiring both parents to be present in the same location.
- Joint sessions continue monthly until conflict has been reduced, and then continue on an as-needed basis.
- The Parenting Coordinator can also assist with ad-hoc disputes outside of the scheduled sessions.
When all parties feel ready, the Parenting Coordinator can disengage, and the parents can continue to manage the shared parenting of their children.
Our Expert Parenting Coordinator
Hayley Cunningham is an Accredited Specialist in Family Law, legal practitioner director, and solicitor in charge of Family Law Group Solicitors.
Hayley is a trained Parenting Coordinator, Collaborative Practitioner, National Accredited Mediator/Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner, and a member of Queensland Collaborative Law.
Learn More About Hayley’s Mediation and Parenting Coordination Services
Frequently Asked Questions
Our parenting coordination fee structure is based on an hourly rate, with the following typical session times:
- Individual intake sessions – 1 hour (15 minutes preparation and 45 minutes intake session)
- Joint sessions – 90 minutes
- Solo sessions – duration as required, in 6-minute increments
You can get in touch with us to request our latest fee agreement for more details.
Typical lead times for new engagements are 1-2 weeks for the intakes to be conducted, and then the first joint session is usually within one month after that.
Parenting coordination assists parents with the co-parenting communication and decision-making process required to navigate and live with their parenting orders. Some parents spend more time in parenting coordination working on their overall communication, while others use the sessions to mediate specific issues.
Parenting coordination is often part of the parenting orders made by the Court, whether by consent or not. Engagement in the parenting coordination process is therefore required for compliance with those orders. However, if there are issues with participation by one parent or the other, the parenting coordinator may refer both parents back to their solicitors for legal advice.
Unless otherwise stipulated in your orders, sessions will be scheduled on an as-needed basis. Usually at the end of a joint session there is a brief discussion about when the next session will be held, depending on the types of issues currently in dispute and how much progress is being made. Joint sessions might also be scheduled to align with developments and milestones in the child’s life so that discussions can occur to assist the parents making decisions collaboratively.