3 Benefits of Working with a Parenting Coordinator

The court may have entered visitation orders in your Michigan child custody or divorce case, but this does not mean they automatically come to pass. To be effective co-parents, both parties must comply with the orders of the court.

When the parenting plan is not working, it falls to you and the other parent to find a way to modify the plan or make it work as established.

In Michigan, a parenting coordinator can help you and the other parent make the court’s parenting plan work. A parenting coordinator is a professional appointed by the court to help ex-spouses effectively co-parent their children.

3 Ways a Michigan Parenting Coordinator Can Assist You

You may have little choice in the court’s decision to appoint a parenting coordinator, and the thought of a third party involved in your family may make you bristle. Before you resist or try to change the court’s order, however, consider the benefits that a parenting coordinator might provide:

1. A Parenting Coordinator Can Be a Conduit of Communication

If you and the other parent are not communicating well with each other, a parenting coordinator can be a neutral party to help foster better communication. By not having to speak directly with the other parent, you may find that you have a better exchange of information between your home and the other parent’s household.

2. A Parenting Coordinator Can Act as a Mediator of Disputes

Even the most carefully worded parenting plan can be ambiguous on certain matters. When this happens, you and the other parent may have a different opinion as to what the parenting plan means or what should happen.

Rather than risking a court battle or violating the parenting plan, allow a parenting coordinator to help mediate an agreement between you and the other parent. These mediated agreements may provide a more efficient, less costly solution to the problem than having a hearing before the court.

3. A Parenting Coordinator Can Be an Unbiased Voice for Your Child

A parenting coordinator does not work on behalf of either you or the other parent. Instead, the parenting coordinator’s concern is focused solely on the best interests of your child.

The parenting plan is what the court has found to be in the child’s best interests. For this reason, the parenting coordinator seeks to help you and the other parent implement the parenting plan.

If the parenting plan no longer appears to be in the child’s best interests, count on the parenting coordinator to voice their concerns to the court alongside you. While the parenting coordinator cannot change the court’s orders, their unbiased opinion may be especially persuasive to the court.

Contact a Michigan Child Custody Law Firm Today

If you need to establish a parenting plan or are having trouble with a plan already in place, Gucciardo Family Law wants to assist you. Contact our knowledgeable and committed Michigan legal team to learn about how a well-crafted parenting plan can make life easier for you and your children.