The Parenting Centre also offers a unique advisory mediation model to assist separating parents in devising a parenting plan consistent with their children's best interests. We can work with couples on all aspects of a mediated agreement including a property settlement and couples can turn the agreements into "consent orders" which have the same authority as any order of the court.
Mediation offers parents the opportunity to decide how they will co-parent their child(ren) in the future, instead of having this dictated to them. The two biggest advantages of developing a parenting plan in mediation are:
- The people who know and love the child(ren) make the decisions instead of the court; and
- Mediation is far less expensive than litigation and can save parents tens of thousands of dollars
There are essentially no disadvantages, other than the possibility that parents will not be able to agree on a parenting plan. The parenting plan developed together with the mediator can be turned into a consent order and have the exact same legal authority as any court order.
Mediation can typically be scheduled at the offices of one of the lawyers (if the parties are represented) or at The Parenting Centre offices in Brisbane (West End) or Maleny.
How It Works
The Parenting Centre utilises a three phase model for the development of parenting plans:
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Phase One: Assessment.
After reviewing all documents submitted by the parties, Dr. Jacobs meets individually with each parent to ensure he/she has a full opportunity to explain his/her perspective and his/her vision for the parenting plan. Dr. Jacobs may meet with the child(ren) as well during this phase -
Phase Two: Drafting the Plan.
Dr. Jacobs develops a draft of a comprehensive parenting plan based on the parents' input and his assessment of the psychological, emotional and developmental best interests of the child(ren) -
Phase Three: Agreement.
Dr. Jacobs meets with each parent (this meeting can be joint if the parties both request it) and reviews and explains the draft parenting plan. Using the draft as the basis, the parents work with Dr. Jacobs to make any changes until they are both in agreement.
Cost
The process will typically take 8-10 hours to complete. The cost is $2000 (plus GST) for up to 10 hours, with any additional time billed on an hourly basis.
Photo (Family at the Fountain) courtesy of *clairity* at Flickr. Some rights reserved.
