You and your spouse decided to divorce, but your visitation schedule does not work for you. Whether you worry about the lack of time spent with your children, whether your spouse does not pick-up or drop-off your children in a timely manner or you feel as though you deserve more schedule flexibility, you want to dispute against your current visitation plan.
In Ohio, instead of heading to costly court proceedings, you can settle visitation disagreements without the presence of a judge. Though a process called parental coordination, you and your ex-spouse can use another individual’s expertise to determine a new arrangement that proves fair and in the best interest of your children. Although hiring an attorney to resolve a visitation dispute may prove necessary in many divorce cases, if you and your ex-spouse hope to save time and money, collaboration with a parental coordinator may constitute a valuable option.
Parental coordination in Ohio
According to Ohio state law, parental coordination occurs when an impartial third-party individual helps determine new arrangements to your visitation plan outside of court. Usually, you and your ex-spouse will agree on the individual, and the court may appoint them.
The goal of parental coordination works to solve disputes with scheduling and parenting time issues between parents. A parenting coordinator does not need to hold an attorney’s license, although employing a licensed attorney as a practicing parenting coordinator offers benefits in expertise.
Couples often utilize parenting coordinators in the following scenarios.
- When you and your ex-spouse have disagreements about parental responsibilities or visitation issues
- When a history of conflicts in parental ideals occur and your children are affected
- When your visitation time requires adjustments due to your work schedule or other conflicts
- When you and your ex-spouse have been able to accommodate one another
- When your child develops a medical condition
- When you or your ex-spouse develop a medical condition
The benefits of parental coordinators
Parental coordination holds significant benefits over longer, more expensive court appearances.
- The cost of parental coordination lies extremely low compared to in-court litigation.
- The process of parental coordination takes as long as each couple needs. Some coordination processes end within hours.
- The stress and emotional trauma that heading to court may bring is avoided.
- A third-party parental coordinator will act as point of contact, working to make both parties happy.
- Children’s needs are addressed without court interruption.
If you feel as though your visitation rights need revisiting, Ohio allows for a simpler process of addressing specific custody issues. Parental coordinators provide the opportunity for you and your ex-spouse to work freely to resolve visitation disputes without having to head to court.