Practice area 02
Parenting Coordination
Andrew Macintosh is a Panel Family Consultant appointed to the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, based in Melbourne, and a Parenting Coordinator registered with Parenting Coordination Australia.
Evertrack Family Practice provides parenting coordination in post-orders matters on referral from legal practitioners and on self-referral from parents, subject to suitability.
Section 01
A structured post-orders process
Parenting coordination is a structured, post-orders process designed to support separated parents to implement parenting orders and reduce ongoing conflict in day-to-day arrangements. It is distinct from mediation, counselling, and therapy. The focus is on implementation, not re-litigation or renegotiation of orders.
The process provides ongoing, real-time support to parents as issues arise, drawing on case management, structured negotiation, education, and communication support. The aim is to stabilise co-parenting functioning over time, reduce children’s exposure to parental conflict, and reduce reliance on professional and court involvement. Over time, the work is intended to reduce its own necessity.
Section 02
When parenting coordination may be appropriate
Parenting coordination may be suitable where:
- Final or interim parenting orders, or a registered parenting plan, are in place
- Parents experience ongoing conflict in implementing arrangements
- Communication between parents is strained, inconsistent, or escalated
- Disagreements arise in day-to-day parenting matters, including logistics, education, health, and communication
- Parenting arrangements are in place but difficult to maintain consistently
- The Court or legal representatives identify parenting coordination as appropriate post-orders support
The service is most effective where parents are able to engage in a structured and accountable process, even where conflict remains high.
When it is not appropriate
- Therapeutic or counselling services are sought
- The process is being used to re-litigate or renegotiate parenting arrangements
- There is active, unmanaged family violence that cannot be safely contained within a coordination framework
- A party is unwilling to engage with structure, boundaries, or shared accountability
Evertrack Family Practice may decline or discontinue services where the process is no longer appropriate, effective, or safe.
Section 03
The role and its boundaries
Parenting coordination is tailored to the needs of each family and the authority available under court orders or agreement. The role may include:
- Assisting with interpretation and implementation of parenting orders or agreements
- Supporting structured, child-focused communication
- Providing guidance in routine parenting disputes
- Supporting consistency and predictability in arrangements
- Providing written guidance where appropriate
- Providing written recommendations, with reasons, where parents cannot reach agreement
The role is focused on implementation and management, not assessment or treatment. It does not involve counselling or therapeutic intervention, mediation aimed at changing parenting arrangements, advocacy for either party, or the preparation of assessment reports or expert opinions. Parenting coordination is not provided concurrently or sequentially with other Evertrack services in the same matter.
Parenting coordination is not confidential
Unlike mediation and family dispute resolution, parenting coordination is not a confidential or privileged process. Where the Court orders a report, the work is reportable, and the file may be produced to the Court under subpoena. Communication between a parent and the parenting coordinator is also not confidential as between the parents: the coordinator may disclose to one parent what the other has said. These limits are set out in full in the Participation Agreement and are explained at intake.
Section 04
Areas of experience
Parenting coordination matters frequently arrive with patterns that have been present for a long time: communication that escalates faster than either parent can step back from; disagreements about schedules, school, medical matters or communication that carry the weight of older grievances; and misreadings of intent through accumulated history.
These patterns may sit alongside relational dynamics, power imbalance, differing parenting styles, and the developmental needs of children at different ages. The practice also brings rich experience and a dynamic approach to matters where neurodiversity in parents or children is a feature.
The work is not focused on changing who the parents are. It is focused on building the structure, communication patterns, and practical agreements that allow parenting orders to operate without each issue becoming the next conflict.
Section 05
How this practice approaches the work
Each engagement begins with separate intake sessions with each parent, followed by ongoing scheduled sessions and, where appropriate, joint work. Scope, frequency, and review milestones are set out in a written service agreement.
The practice maintains active attention to risk throughout the engagement, including family violence dynamics, coercive control, and the welfare of children. Role clarity and impartiality are foundational: the practitioner does not make decisions on behalf of parents, provide legal or therapeutic advice, or vary the underlying parenting orders.
Two pathways to parenting coordination
Where parenting coordination is included in court orders. The Court may order parenting coordination following a recommendation from a Family Report or other expert assessment. The order names a specific practitioner, identified by the parties’ lawyers or, where agreement cannot be reached, by direction of the Court. Where Evertrack is appointed, work begins with structured intake and proceeds under the Court’s orders.
Where parenting orders are in place and coordination is being considered. Parents finding implementation difficult may consider parenting coordination as a means of supporting those orders without returning to court. Parents and their lawyers can consider which practitioner is the right fit; an introductory call is available.
Section 06
Practical arrangements
Session structure
Scheduled sessions are typically 60 to 90 minutes and may be conducted jointly or individually depending on safety and stage of engagement.
Engagement structure
The engagement opens with individual intake sessions with each parent, followed by the first joint session: three sessions in the opening weeks. It then continues fortnightly for six to eight weeks before transitioning to monthly sessions. Additional sessions may be required. Engagements ordinarily run for 12 months, reviewable and extendable by agreement.
Availability and geographic reach
Weekend, evening, and public-holiday sessions are available subject to availability. Parenting coordination is conducted Australia-wide via secure video conference. In-person sessions are available at the practice rooms on Peel Street, Collingwood, Melbourne, on the 86 tram line.
Additional supports
Email communication monitoring is available where appropriate as an additional service. Out-of-hours consultation is available by arrangement for matters requiring timely resolution outside scheduled sessions. Scope, protocols, and fees are detailed in the Participation Agreement.
Section 07
Resources and fees
Resources for legal practitioners
A standard 11-clause Parenting Coordination Order template based on the standard order published by Parenting Coordination Australia is available to legal practitioners. It is drafted under section 13C of the Family Law Act 1975 and covers appointment, panel selection, engagement, document provision, role, compliance, and costs. An optional clause addresses disproportionate cost allocation. The template is a starting point for instruction and should be adapted to the matter.
The Participation Agreement is reviewed and signed during intake. A working version is available on request to legal practitioners.
Fees
Parenting coordination is priced per session rather than by the hour, so that parents can plan for the cost. The intake session, held individually with each parent, is $550 plus GST per parent and includes review of the parenting orders or registered parenting plan, family violence and safety screening, the Participation Agreement, and a written intake summary. Joint coordination sessions are 90 minutes at $495 plus GST per parent, including preparation and a written summary of the session circulated to both parents afterwards. An individual session at the request of one parent is $395 plus GST, payable by the requesting parent. Up to 30 minutes of communication between sessions each month is included. Additional work, including communication beyond that allowance and correspondence with legal representatives, is charged at $450 plus GST per hour, shared equally between parents unless otherwise agreed or ordered. Where parents are unable to reach agreement and a written recommendation with reasons is issued, that is $950 plus GST, shared equally. A detailed fee schedule is provided at intake, and fees are reviewed annually.
Section 08
For both parents
Parenting coordination requires the engagement of both parents to begin. Where one parent is exploring whether it might assist, this page provides the same information for the other parent’s consideration. Each parent may book an introductory call separately, and initial engagement with each parent is conducted in individual intake sessions before joint work begins.
Introductory call
A no-obligation 15-minute introductory call is available to parents and referring legal practitioners. The call covers what parenting coordination involves, whether it may be suitable in the circumstances, and what next steps would look like. There is no fee.
Request a callBook directly
Select a time below to book the 15-minute introductory call straight into the diary.
Referrals and intake
Referrals are accepted from legal practitioners, courts, allied professionals, and self-referrals from parents, subject to suitability. All matters are subject to intake screening, conflict assessment, and confirmation of role suitability.