New Jersey now has a formal court program for this. Effective September 1, 2023, the state Supreme Court adopted Court Rule 5:8D, which lets a family court appoint a parenting coordinator in the right case, often one with ongoing conflict over parenting time. The parents can choose the person together, whether that is a professional on the Judiciary's roster or someone else they both trust.

A court appointed parenting coordinator has real teeth. Their job is to help the parents reach their own decisions whenever possible, but when the two of you cannot agree, the coordinator can make a recommendation. Under the rule, that recommendation becomes binding unless a parent formally objects by filing a timely motion with the court. In other words, you either follow it or you take action to challenge it in front of a judge. There are limits, though. A parenting coordinator cannot decide financial issues and cannot change legal or physical custody. Those stay with the court.

I have received specialized parenting coordinator training in NJ and am on the Judiciary Roster for Parent Coordinators. This means the Court recognizes my training, education, background, and experience and deems me qualified to help parents co-parent. I consider this an honor as raising kids is the hardest and most rewarding and most important job parents have.

Our world’s future depends on raising healthy and mentally strong kids. I help parents with this.

I do the same practical work, but without the courtroom weight attached to it. As a private parenting coordinator, I help both of you untangle the real logistics of parenting in two homes and reach decisions you can actually live with. The difference is that I do not make binding recommendations to a judge, and nothing I suggest gets forced on you by the court. This is your process. You keep the say over how it goes.

That is the heart of what I believe about this work. Mediation and parenting coordination are about self-determination, which means you decide what works for your family instead of handing that decision to someone who does not know them. I am here to guide you through it, to take the fear down before we get to the logistics, and to help you both feel steady about parenting in this new chapter. It is great that you love your kids. That love is what carries you through. My job is just to help you build something practical around it.

This is general information about how parenting coordination works in New Jersey. It is not legal advice for any specific situation.

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