Parental Coordinator & Decision Maker Services
Navigating co-parenting relationships after separation or divorce can present significant challenges. When parents find themselves unable to effectively communicate or reach agreements about their children's upbringing, a Parental Coordinator (PC) or Decision Maker (DM) can provide vital assistance. Our experienced family law professionals offer these specialized services to help families move beyond conflict and create stable, healthy environments for children.
Understanding Parental Coordination and Decision Making
What is a Parental Coordinator?
A Parental Coordinator is a neutral third-party professional appointed to help parents implement their parenting plan and resolve disputes about parenting time and child-rearing issues. In Colorado, Parental Coordinators typically work with families experiencing high levels of conflict, helping to facilitate communication between parents, assist in resolving day-to-day parenting disputes, help parents interpret and follow court orders, develop strategies for effective co-parenting, and recommend resources and solutions to ongoing issues.
The Parental Coordinator's primary role is to help parents work together more effectively, focusing on dispute resolution and improved communication rather than making binding decisions.
What is a Decision Maker?
A Decision Maker serves a similar but distinct function in high-conflict co-parenting situations. Appointed by the court with the consent of both parents, a Decision Maker has the authority to make binding decisions about disputed parenting issues when parents cannot reach agreement. This professional can make binding determinations on specific parenting disputes, address issues related to implementation of parenting time, resolve disagreements about education, healthcare, activities, and other child-rearing matters, issue written decisions that are enforceable like court orders, and help families avoid repeated returns to court for minor disputes.
Decision Makers provide a more authoritative intervention than Parental Coordinators, though both roles focus on the children's best interests.
Legal Framework for Parental Coordinators and Decision Makers
Colorado Statutory Authority
In Colorado, the use of Parental Coordinators and Decision Makers is governed by specific statutes that define their roles, powers, and limitations. Our professionals maintain comprehensive knowledge of these legal frameworks, ensuring that all services provided comply with state requirements and ethical standards.
The court may appoint a Parental Coordinator or Decision Maker when parents have demonstrated an inability to effectively co-parent without assistance, the level of conflict poses potential harm to the children involved, both parents consent to the appointment (with limited exceptions), and the court determines that such appointment serves the children's best interests.
Appointment Process and Requirements
Professionals serving in these roles must meet specific qualifications under Colorado law, including advanced degrees in mental health, law, or related fields; specialized training in child development, family dynamics, and conflict resolution; continuing education in parental coordination techniques; and compliance with professional ethical standards.
Our team includes professionals who exceed these baseline requirements, bringing extensive experience in complex family dynamics and child-centered dispute resolution.
When to Consider a Parental Coordinator or Decision Maker
Signs That Additional Support May Be Beneficial
Families may benefit from these services when experiencing persistent communication breakdown between parents, recurring conflict over interpretation of parenting plan provisions, inability to make joint decisions about children's activities, education, or healthcare, frequent returns to court for enforcement or modification of parenting orders, children showing signs of stress related to parental conflict, or disparate parenting styles leading to inconsistency across households.
Early intervention often produces better outcomes than waiting until conflict has escalated to severe levels.
Differences Between Therapy and Parental Coordination
While there may be therapeutic benefits to working with a Parental Coordinator, this role differs significantly from family therapy. Parental Coordinators focus specifically on parenting plan implementation rather than broader emotional issues. The process is more structured and goal-oriented than therapeutic approaches. Sessions typically address concrete parenting matters rather than relationship healing. Information shared is not confidential as it might be in therapy. The orientation is practical and present-focused rather than exploring past issues.
Understanding these distinctions helps families set appropriate expectations for the process.
Our Approach to Parental Coordination and Decision Making
Initial Assessment and Framework Development
Our process begins with thorough evaluation of the family situation, parenting plan, and specific areas of conflict. This assessment allows us to establish a clear framework for our involvement, including defining the scope of issues to be addressed, establishing communication protocols, clarifying decision-making processes, setting expectations for parent participation, and creating a roadmap for measuring progress.
This structured beginning helps create clarity and sets the stage for productive engagement.
Facilitation of Effective Communication
Many co-parenting difficulties stem from communication problems. Our professionals help parents develop more effective ways to share information and discuss children's needs by establishing business-like communication channels and expectations, teaching active listening and non-reactive response techniques, providing neutral space for difficult conversations, modeling problem-solving approaches that focus on children's needs, and creating documentation systems that reduce misunderstandings.
These improvements in communication often resolve many minor disputes before they escalate.
Conflict Resolution Methods
When specific disagreements arise, our professionals employ evidence-based conflict resolution methods, including interest-based negotiation focusing on underlying needs rather than positions, structured problem-solving protocols that break issues into manageable parts, reality testing of proposed solutions to evaluate practicality and impact, child-centered decision frameworks that prioritize children's development and stability, and future-oriented planning that anticipates and prevents recurring issues.
This methodical approach helps parents move beyond entrenched positions to find workable solutions.
Decision-Making Process (for Decision Maker Services)
When serving as Decision Makers, our professionals follow a transparent and fair process for resolving disputed issues. This involves gathering relevant information from both parents and, when appropriate, children or other involved parties; reviewing applicable provisions of the parenting plan and court orders; considering the specific developmental needs of the children involved; evaluating proposed solutions against best practices in child development; and issuing written decisions with clear reasoning and implementation instructions.
This process ensures that decisions are well-informed, impartial, and focused on children's best interests.
Common Issues Addressed Through These Services
Implementation of Parenting Time Schedules
Our professionals frequently help parents navigate complexities related to interpretation of holiday and special occasion provisions, management of schedule changes and make-up time, transportation arrangements and exchange logistics, vacation planning and travel considerations, and integration of children's activities with parenting schedules.
Clear protocols around these recurring issues often prevent unnecessary conflict.
Educational Decision-Making
Children's education frequently presents co-parenting challenges, including decisions about school selection and enrollment, parent-teacher communication and conferences, management of academic difficulties, extracurricular and enrichment activities, and homework expectations across households.
Our professionals help create consistent approaches that support children's academic success regardless of which parent they are with.
Healthcare Coordination
Children's physical and mental health needs require coordinated attention from both parents. We assist with selection and communication with healthcare providers, management of medication and treatment plans, response to illness and injury, coordination of therapy and counseling services, and implementation of professional recommendations.
These systems ensure that children receive consistent care across both households.
Benefits of Working with Our Professionals
Reduced Litigation and Court Involvement
By providing alternative means to resolve disputes, our services often help families avoid costly return trips to court, delays associated with court calendars, adversarial proceedings that heighten conflict, public airing of family matters, and decisions imposed by judges with limited knowledge of family dynamics.
This reduction in litigation benefits not only family finances but also emotional well-being.
Child-Centered Focus
Unlike court proceedings, which must balance many legal considerations, our professionals maintain an unwavering focus on children's needs and experiences. This perspective helps parents see beyond their conflict to recognize children's experiences, make decisions based on developmental research rather than personal preferences, create consistency that provides security for children, shield children from adult conflicts, and support healthy parent-child relationships with both parents.
This child-centered approach often helps parents find common ground even when they disagree on other matters.
Skill Development for Future Co-Parenting
Beyond resolving immediate issues, our professionals help parents develop skills for more effective independent co-parenting, including constructive communication techniques, emotional regulation strategies, problem-solving frameworks, perspective-taking abilities, and boundary-setting approaches.
These skills often lead to gradually decreasing need for third-party intervention as parents become more effective in managing their co-parenting relationship.
Starting the Process
Initial Consultation and Assessment
We begin with a thorough consultation to understand your family situation, review existing court orders, and assess whether Parental Coordination or Decision Maker services would benefit your family. This meeting allows us to clarify your specific needs and concerns, explain the relevant processes and limitations, discuss fee structures and practical arrangements, answer questions about how services would work for your family, and determine next steps, whether with our services or other resources.
This no-obligation consultation helps you make informed decisions about moving forward.
Court Appointment Process
If you decide to proceed with our services, we guide you through the process of securing court appointment, including preparing necessary paperwork and agreements, developing clear statements of scope and authority, establishing fee arrangements and financial responsibilities, obtaining necessary consents and approvals, and coordinating with attorneys if they are involved.
Our streamlined process makes this administrative aspect as simple as possible.
We invite you to contact our office to learn more about how our Parental Coordinator and Decision Maker services can help your family navigate co-parenting challenges more effectively. Our experienced professionals are committed to helping parents move beyond conflict to create stable, supportive environments for their children.
