It is a new alternative dispute resolution process in which a qualified impartial professional assists separated or divorced parents to resolve issues pertaining to their parenting plan and to help them implement their parenting plan. This can include: identifying disputed issues; reducing misunderstandings; clarifying priorities; exploring possibilities for problem solving; developing methods of collaboration in parenting; developing a parenting plan; and aiding parties in complying with the court’s order regarding parenting issues. Parenting Coordination helps the parents avoid repeated trips to court over parenting issues.

Parenting Coordination offers a much better way of resolving parenting plan issues than returning to court; the resolution comes much faster than waiting for a court date and then the court decision. The Parenting Coordinator educates the parents about the harm to the children of hostility between parents, mediates issues as they arise, and if the parents are unable to resolve issues other than allocation of parenting time, makes the decision.

Q: What does Parenting Coordination provide that mediation, therapy, and other services for families do not provide?

Parenting Coordination is a long-term success-oriented process  for divorced or separated parents whose relationship continues to be hostile. 

The  Parenting Coordinator will work with others involved with the family, including mental health experts, health care personnel, social services, education and legal professionals, as well as  extended family, stepparents and the children. The Parenting Coordinator may make recommendations for outside services, such as counseling, that the Parenting Coordinator may determine are needed.

Parenting Coordination is a solution oriented process. It helps parents work together for the good of their children rather than fighting each other. Parenting Coordination provides an opportunity for parents to develop an ability to parent their children in a healthy, constructive way rather than to perpetuate a conflict that places their children in the parents’ war zone.

The parents are having frequent disputes about issues such as the parenting schedule, exchange times and locations, extracurricular activities, education choices, and medical decisions. They may have gone back to court several times since the divorce. Some of these families may be called "high conflict"

Parenting coordinators need an advanced degree in law, psychology, social work, or counseling and experience with "high conflict families." They must complete a two-day training in parenting coordination and also mediator training. The NH Parenting Coordinator Handbook provides guidelines for parenting coordinator qualifications which specify a family-experienced background, as well as specialized training in mediation in addition to parenting coordination.  

The Parenting Coordinator will typically meet with the parents, individually and/or jointly. The parents’ concerns will be identified, the family situation will be assessed with the aid of court orders and documents, and a course of action will be identified, including the setting of specific goals for resolution of conflicting issues. E-mails and phone calls are used to assist the parents’ work toward the goals.  Additional individual or joint meetings may be scheduled and other people with information may be contacted.

A Parenting Coordinator cannot serve in dual roles, such as a GAL, a divorce mediator, a psychotherapist, a lawyer for either parent or the children, or a visitation supervisor involved with the family. This prohibition applies  before, during,  and after service as Parenting Coordinator. For example, the therapist for the child may not be appointed as Parenting Coordinator. Also, after serving as Parenting Coordinator, the person may not become the guardian ad litem. 

Parenting Coordination is a relatively new dispute resolution process with the research just beginning to be conducted. Studies since 1994 have found that with the services of a Parenting Coordinator, court appearances in the cases studied were reduced by up to 90 percent  If this reduction in court appearances can be correlated to a reduction in conflict between parents, then Parenting Coordination can be seen to have an ameliorating effect on the well-researched and proven fact that children exposed to conflict in the home are four times

The PCANH has compiled a Parenting Coordination Handbook that is available from its website (www.pcanh.org) The PCANH website also has links to other sites with Parenting Coordination information. 

The Parenting Coordinator’s Association of New Hampshire is a non-profit interdisciplinary organization dedicated to fostering the understanding and use of parenting coordination and to supporting professionals who serve as parenting coordinators.