Parenting Coordinators: a missing link?
Are “parenting coordinators” a missing link in dealing with family separation or divorce? Should they – with their skills of coach and mediator wrapped into one – and not lawyers, be one of the first ports of call for a family under stress or “breaking up”?
Does the legal system do all this?
According to one of Australia’s leading parenting coordination practitioners, a Parenting Coordinator may:
Coach parents in post-separation communications strategies, conflict resolution and anger management
Assist parents transition from being ex-partners to co-parents
Meet Court Orders
Mediate on-going disagreements & conflict
Assist parents in building lasting strategy to meet custody and event commitments
Reduce children’s exposure to parental conflict
Promote healthy relationships between children and both parents
Reduce stress for children when transitioning between homes
Facilitate smooth time share
Create a more balanced home environment for children
Help children maintain their sense of security, trust and self-esteem
Where they are used at present, the legal system sets up Parenting Coordinators in the wake of belated and adversarial court processes. The positive skills and aims in the list above need to be a first port of all as early as possible after separation. That’s where parenting coordinators are a missing link.
