Parenting Plan Coordination

Some families have ongoing conflicts after a parenting agreement or child custody order has been made.  As a Parenting Plan Coordinator, I help resolve conflicts quickly to avoid repeated litigation.  I work to mediate and, if needed, arbitrate conflicts.  Parenting Plan Coordination is a form of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).

My goal is to achieve a mutually agreeable arrangement by working with the parents in a collaborative manner, using mediation.   As a parent educator and child custody evaluator, I help the parents focus on the child(ren)’s needs in the context of their families.  If the parents still cannot agree, I can make a decision that is in the child(ren)’s best interests, within the scope of the quasi-judicial authority stipulated to by the parents.  Families choose to have a Parenting Plan Coordinator because decisions can often be made to resolve issues in only a day, using phone calls, emails, or texts.

As a Parenting Plan Coordinator for many years, I have helped resolve a wide range of disputed parenting issues, including: the activities of the children, travel arrangements, haircuts, educational issues, medical and psychological care, summer activities and, more generally, interpretation of the court ordered child custody schedules.  These issues matter to children and their families, but the time and cost of litigation usually means that the Family Law Court is not able to resolve these daily parenting type problems, which leaves families at an impasse.  As a Parenting Plan Coordinator, I work to apply and clarify the Court’s orders to the various situations that arise.  My goal is always to reduce stress and be responsive to the needs of the children and parents, so that the child(ren)’s needs are met and the parents are less impacted by ongoing conflicts.

Children and their families can benefit from a Parenting Plan Coordinator by having issues resolved quickly.  Uncertainty and conflict create anxiety for the entire family.  Working with a skilled Parenting Plan Coordinator can be an emotionally and financially cost effective solution to resolving repeated parenting conflicts.  Parents can stipulate in advance to what types of issues a Parenting Plan Coordinator can address, ranging from a specific concern to disputes by the parents interpreting the ordered child custody schedule. The stipulation for a Parenting Plan Coordinator developed with the Los Angeles County Bar Association that I utilize is also available on my forms page.

If you would like additional information, please call me at (310) 376-2047.