Ask a Miami divorce attorney: Parenting Coordinators and the issue of confidentiality

Often during a divorce, parents have disagreements about what is best for their children during this difficult process. In these situations, it may be worthwhile to speak with your Miami divorce attorney about appointing a Parenting Coordinator to your case.

Your Miami divorce attorney can help you better understand the role of this individual, which is addressed in Florida Statute 61.125.

“The purpose of parenting coordination is to provide a child-focused alternative dispute resolution process whereby a parenting coordinator assists the parents in creating or implementing a parenting plan by facilitating the resolution of disputes between the parents by providing education, making recommendations and, with the prior approval of the parents and the court, making limited decisions within the scope of the court’s order of referral,” states the statute.

In a previous post, we wrote about the qualifications of a Parenting Coordinator. In this installment, we’ll focus on the issue of confidentiality. According to the statute, all communications made with the Parenting Coordinator are confidential, and the individual cannot testify about these communications unless:
• The testimony is necessary to acknowledge a written agreement between both parties, prevent domestic violence or identify an issue that needs to be resolved in court, provided other communications aren’t disclosed
• The parents agree that the testimony should be permitted
• The Parenting Coordinator believes that the case is not appropriate for parental coordinating, is unqualified to resolve a certain issue or is unable or unwilling to continue providing this service.

For a Miami divorce attorney who will give your divorce the personal attention it deserves and work tirelessly to ensure that you and your children’s best interests are accounted for, contact Scott A. Ferris, Esq. at 305-670-3330. He has more than 25 years of experience in this field, and is on hand to address your concerns seven days a week.