In the 12th Judicial Circuit, Roxanne is qualified and experienced in developing parenting plans and providing court related assessments and overview for families experiencing the struggles of separation, divorce, and rebuilding.
What is the purpose of Parenting Coordination?
Parenting Coordination Services focus on reducing parental conflict and strengthening the parental partnership to enhance children’s emotional functioning. Children benefit from two parents who:
- work well together
- put aside their adult issues
- direct their energies toward providing a secure, safe, and satisfying environment
What will the Parenting Coordinator do?
The Parenting Coordinator will review court orders and assist the parties in developing structure to assure compliance with minimum conflict. The Parenting Coordinator will aid the parties in:
- implementation of the parenting plan
- modifications and expansion of the parenting plan
- reviewing the children’s development in a neutral setting
- addressing matters of dispute with an emphasis on joint decision making and resolution
Parenting Coordination Focuses on the Children
The Parenting Coordinator is concerned with the children’s response to the changes in the family and seeks to diminish the risk of future trauma and dysfunction. Children are often caught in a “loyalty bind.” When children are caught in the middle, it creates a severe dilemma for the children and interferes with their emotional well-being and maturity.
The Parenting Coordinator will:
- educate the parents about sources of their conflict and its effect on the children
- assist the parents in shifting their role from spouses to co-parents
- help them understand how their own emotional attachment to the marital relationship contributes to the conflict affecting their children
The goals of Parenting Coordination are to:
- reduce the children’s stress
- provide them more relaxed households
- ensure open communication with each parent
The Five Phases of Parenting Coordination
1. Intervention/Stabilization: Identify key conflicts and develop skills to solve/compromise situations to stabilize family. Review Parenting Plan and establish mature communication. Initially meeting weekly with monitoring of all parent emails.
2. Working Phase: Continue to establish routines and focus more on children’s unique needs. Meetings are at least monthly with continued email monitoring.
3. Continuation Phase: Focus on planning, scheduling, and new solutions as the child develops. TWO meetings a year may now be sufficient to maintain healthy family function. Additional meetings can be requested. Email monitoring is usually no longer required but is available if agreed upon.
4. Graduation Phase: Families may wish the Parent Coordinator to remain official although no further contact may be required. The Parenting Coordinator remains available at the family’s request.
5. Termination Phase: With parent approval, the Parent Coordinator resigns by informing the Family Court her appointment is no longer required.