Divorce is difficult for children. Indiana parents who are in the process of ending their marriage and are in dispute over custody and parenting time need to keep the child’s needs in mind. Of course, that includes the child having a safe place to live, having proper nutrition, getting health care, receiving a quality education and taking part in enjoyable activities.
There are other challenges that can arise if the parents are unable to agree on their issues. The child’s mental and emotional well-being could be jeopardized. Many parents are unable to come to an agreement on their own and the court must intervene. In some instances, rather than the court deciding, it will bring in a parenting coordinator. For parents who want to achieve a positive result for their children, it is important to understand how parenting coordination works.
Know the facts about parenting coordination
Parenting coordination is generally used for cases that are considered “high conflict,” meaning there is little chance for the parents to come to an agreement on their own. The parenting coordinator is trained to find solutions and emphasize to the parents that the needs of the child should take precedence. The court will retain the right to use its authority to decide on custody, parenting time and other issues.
The parenting coordinator will look at the family situation and educate the parents as to why their dispute could have negative ramifications for the child. They are trained to help parents find common ground. They can communicate with everyone involved in the case – including the child. The objective is to forge strategies where the parents can go beyond their negative feelings toward each other and try to work together to serve the child’s best interests.
In some instances, the sessions with the parenting coordinator do not yield an agreement. That, however, does not mean it was a useless endeavor. They can give the court an assessment about the case. Both parties will have access to this report. The recommendations will say how the parents and child would benefit if they were implemented. The parties involved can object. The court can approve the recommendations and implement them. It can reject them in full or in part. Or the court can completely disregard the recommendations.
Parents need to focus on their children in a divorce
It can be easy to get sidetracked and let the situation escalate when getting divorced. People need to think about how to help their children adapt to the new circumstances. A parenting coordinator could be beneficial in myriad ways.
Regardless of whether their recommendations are put in effect, the parents should be prepared to address child custody and parenting time to reach a reasonable conclusion. This is crucial to avoid a long-term, acrimonious case that makes things harder for everyone, particularly the child.