Parenting Coordination in High Conflict Custody Cases

Back in 2019, the Supreme Court Domestic Relations Procedural Rules Committee adopted new rules regarding parenting coordination that went into effect in March of that year.

Parenting coordination is a conflict-resolution process that helps families implement and comply with custody orders in order to reduce custody-related litigation.

Which Cases Need Parenting Coordinators?

Where parties in a custody case have frequent disagreements that are constantly being brought before the court, the court may appoint a parenting coordinator. These are high conflict cases where parties are constantly disagreeing on non-emergency issues and then seeking court intervention.

What Will the Parenting Coordinator Do?

The parenting coordinator will work with the parties to try to reach a resolution on the non-emergent issues. If the parenting coordinator is unable to get the parties to agree on how to resolve an issue, the parenting coordinator is given the authority to make his or her own decision on how to resolve the issue, thereby reducing the need for parties to litigate these matters in court.

What is the Benefit of a Parenting Coordinator?

The benefit to the parenting coordinator is speed and cost. The parenting coordinator can resolve and/or render a decision to resolve a custody dispute faster than if the matter had to be litigated in court. This in turn reduces the cost of having an attorney present to represent the parties during a hearing before the judge.

Are there Specific Issues that the Parenting Coordinator Can Decide?

The parenting coordinator can attempt to resolve parenting issues that include, but are not limited to:

Places and conditions for custodial transitions between households

Temporary variation from the custodial schedule for a special event or particular circumstance

School issues, apart from school selection

Children’s participation in recreation, enrichment, and extracurricular activities, including travel

Child care arrangements

Clothing, equipment, toys, and personal possessions of the children

Information exchanges between the parties and communication with or about the children

Coordination of existing or court-ordered services for the children, such as psychological services

Behavioral management of the children

Any other related custody issues that the parties mutually have agreed in writing to submit to the parenting coordinator, except for those that are specifically excluded from the parenting coordinator’s scope of authority

Which Issues are Outside of the Parenting Coordinator’s Scope of Authority?

The parenting coordinator is unable to decide the following:

A change in legal custody as set forth in the custody order

A change in primary physical custody as set forth in the custody order

A change in the court-ordered custody schedule that reduces or expands the children’s time with a party, except for temporary changes due to events

A change in residence of the children (i.e. relocation)

Financial issues, other than the allocation of the parenting coordinator’s fees

Major decisions affecting the health, education, or religion of the children
And any other issues limited by the appointing judge

Are Conversations with the Parenting Coordinator Kept Confidential?

No. Communication between the parties or the parties’ attorneys and the parenting coordinator are not kept confidential. Also, any information that is provided by one party to the parenting coordinator, must be made available for the other party for inspection and copying.

If you recently had a parenting coordinator appointed to your case, or have additional questions, please contact the Law Offices of Peter J. Russo, P.C. to speak to one of our family law attorneys.

Spring Break Considerations for Parenting Agreements

As Spring Break approaches, divorced or divorcing parents may wonder about how their vacation plans may be affected. Fortunately, parents can devise their own parenting agreements through negotiations between their lawyers or the mediation process. Once completed, these agreements can then be submitted to the court for incorporation in the custody agreement. Some things to consider for this portion of your parenting agreement include:

Vacation Time Designation

Parents will need to consider how much time they each will have for vacation. They have flexibility in coming up with these terms. For example, some parents may be given specific dates each year when they can take vacation, such as alternating Spring Breaks. Others may have a certain number of days throughout the year during which time they can take vacation. Parents may also need to consider if there should be makeup visitation if one parent loses their regular time while the child is away on vacation.

Right to Notice

Parents may want to include a provision that requires the other parent to notify them before they take their child out of the state or on a vacation that lasts longer than three days. They can require the parent to provide an address and phone number where the child can be reached during this time.

International Travel

Parents may require that they approve any international travel before it is taken. They should both be part of the process of obtaining a passport.

Costs

Parents may agree that the vacationing parent may be responsible for all travel-related costs or that the costs will be split between the parents in a way they determine is fair.

Did You Know?

U.S. Census Bureau data reveals that only about 0.07% or 205,000 people in the U.S. have a February 29 birthday which means the probability of February 29 birthdays is 1 in 1,461.

People born on February 29 are called “leapers" and get to celebrate their actual birthdays only every four years.

"Leapers" usually celebrate their birthdays on February 28 or March 1 and use these dates on official documents.

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Work Life Balance

February is the month of love, and what better way to show your loved ones how much you care by taking the time to find balance between work and life? Finding a healthy work-life balance can be difficult, especially when living in Pennsylvania with its ever-changing weather. But there are still some things that you can do to achieve the balance you need. Here are a few tips to help you get started.

Set Boundaries

The first step towards finding balance is setting boundaries between your professional and personal lives. This means setting aside specific times for work, such as during the day or at night, as well as, making sure that you have time for yourself in between these periods. Setting boundaries also means not letting work creep into other areas of your life, such as family time or leisure activities.

Schedule Downtime

It's easy to get wrapped up in our busy lifestyles and forget about taking breaks for ourselves. That’s why it’s important to create some downtime each day by scheduling specific activities such as going for a walk, reading a book, or taking a relaxing bath. When we take regular breaks from our busy lives it helps us stay focused and productive when we return to our tasks.

Create Goals

Create achievable goals that will help you stay motivated. These goals should be realistic yet challenging enough so that they keep you accountable and motivated along the way. This could include anything from finishing one project per week or spending 30 minutes each day on self-care activities like yoga or meditation. The key is to make sure that these goals are attainable so that they don’t become overwhelming or too difficult to complete.