Parenting Facilitators
What is a parenting facilitator?
A parenting facilitator is a neutral third party who helps the parties work together to minimize conflict. A parenting facilitator provides guidance, support and education to parents, helping them develop positive parenting skills, resolve conflicts, and improve family dynamics. A parenting facilitator may be agreed upon in mediation/negotiations or appointed by the court.
A parenting facilitator will do the following:
(1) Conflict management function–The primary role of the parenting facilitator is to assist the parties to work out disagreements regarding the children to minimize conflict. To assist the parents in reducing conflict, the parenting facilitator may monitor the electronic or written exchanges of parent communications and suggest productive forms of communication that limit conflict between the parents.
(2) Assessment function–A parenting facilitator must review applicable court orders, including protective orders, social studies, and other relevant records to analyze the impasses and issues as brought forth by the parties.
(3) Educational function–A parenting facilitator must educate the parties about child development, divorce, the impact of parental behavior on children, parenting skills, and communication and conflict resolution skills.
(4) Coordination/case management function–A parenting facilitator must work with the professionals and systems involved with the family (for example, mental health, health care, social services, education, or legal) as well as with extended family, stepparents, and significant others as necessary.
A parenting facilitator is not confidential. This means that a parenting facilitator can testify in court, speak with a child custody evaluator or amicus attorney. A parenting facilitator can speak with both attorneys/parties in the case.
Parenting facilitators help parents identify problems, clarify priorities for the parties, reduce the number of misunderstandings, develop strategies to help collaborative parenting and have a full understanding of possession and access provision of parenting plans.
The parenting facilitator will provide direct feedback on how to change bad parenting behaviors to stimulate effective co-parenting. Do not take it offensively. Remember this is about the best interest of your child(ren), not the best interest of you, your opinion or your desire to be right.
By working with a parenting facilitator, you will improve communication, reduce tension and create a more stable cooperative parenting environment that benefits both you and your children.