What is a Parent Coordinator?

Utah has established a judicial rule, 4-509, that defines the work of a Court-Appointed Parent Coordinator. A parent coordinator may be used to help settle child custody or parent-time disputes.

Rather than taking a case to court, many parents find it beneficial to use a Parent Coordinator as an independent third party to develop or change parent time agreements or custody arrangements.

A Parent Coordinator make recommendations directly to the parents about how the children’s needs can best be served. The role of the parent coordinator is like that of the mediator in that the parent coordinator seeks to elicit cooperation and agreement between the parents. Using his or her expertise in child development, however, the parent coordinator also, after hearing the parents’ perceptions and thoughts, offers advice and guidance with regard to specific decisions. With the help of the parent coordinator, the parents then create, revise, or clarify their parenting plan, as defined in the Utah Code.

The benefits of using a Parent Coordintor far outweigh the costs--financial, emotional, a familial costs--of litigating matters that could better be resolved outside of court.

Divorcing parents make a significant impact on how their children adjust to divorce by the way the parents work out theri Co-Parenting plan. Here are some things to keep in mind as you proceed with your divorce.

• People do the best they know how to, given their resources and abilities

• Children in divorced families will be impacted by their parents' co-parenting styles

• Co-parenting styles change in the transition from pre-divorce to post-divorce

• None of us can change another person; we can only change ourselves

• Divorced parents cannot NOT co-parent; HOW they co-parent is the critical factor

• Parents have the skills to implement their Co-Parenting strategies, though they may benefit from working with a Divorce Coach in order to make their plan work more smoothly
  
• Develop parenting styles that are consistent between Mom's house and Dad's house

"Spl/it"

There is a part of me that wants
To be in both places at the same time.
Back with my father
Yet never leaving my mother.

--Alexandra, Connecticut (age 13)