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. Direct instructions are accepted, and an introductory call is available to parents and referrers considering whether parenting coordination may assist.
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.
When parenting coordination may be appropriate
Parenting coordination may be suitable where:
- final or interim parenting orders 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 parenting coordination is not appropriate
Parenting coordination is not suitable where:
- 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.
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
- exercising limited decision-making authority where expressly authorised
The role is focused on implementation and management, not assessment or treatment. Parenting coordination does not involve counselling or therapeutic intervention, mediation aimed at changing parenting arrangements, advocacy for either party, or preparation of reports or opinions for court. To preserve role integrity, parenting coordination is not provided concurrently or sequentially with other Evertrack services in the same matter.
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 practical matters, such as schedules, school, medical, communication itself, that carry the weight of older grievances. Misreadings of intent, where the other parent’s behaviour is read through accumulated history and the most likely explanation is the worst one.
Many of these patterns sit alongside other features of family life: 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, the communication patterns, and the practical agreements that allow the day-to-day implementation of parenting orders to proceed without each issue becoming the next conflict.
How this practice approaches parenting coordination
Evertrack Family Practice approaches parenting coordination through a structured, documented framework. 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 that governs the engagement.
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, does not provide legal or therapeutic advice, and does not vary the underlying parenting orders.
For practitioner background, see About.
Two pathways to parenting coordination
Where parenting coordination is included in court orders. Parenting coordination is ordered by the Court following a recommendation from a Family Report or other expert assessment that PC would assist the family. The order names a specific practitioner. The practitioner is identified by the parties’ lawyers in the lead-up to the order being made, either by agreement between the lawyers or, where agreement cannot be reached, by direction of the Court. Where Evertrack Family Practice is appointed, work begins with structured intake and proceeds under the terms of the Court’s orders.
Where parenting orders are in place and parenting coordination is being considered. Where final or interim parenting orders are in place and the parents are finding implementation difficult, parenting coordination may be considered as a means of supporting implementation without returning to court. Orders are often reached at considerable financial and personal cost, and parenting coordination offers a way to make them workable day to day, rather than the subject of further proceedings. In these matters, parents and their lawyers have scope to consider which practitioner is the right fit; an introductory call is available for parents and referrers exploring whether parenting coordination may assist.
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. From the first joint session, the engagement continues at fortnightly cadence for six to eight weeks before transitioning to monthly sessions. Additional sessions may be required as matters arise. The minimum engagement period is 12 months, reviewable and extendable by agreement. The engagement is governed by a written service agreement established at intake.
Availability. Weekend and evening sessions are available subject to availability, at an additional 50% on the standard rate.
Geographic reach. 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 (the parenting coordinator included in agreed parental communications) is available where appropriate to the matter, as an additional service. Out-of-hours consultation is available by arrangement for matters requiring timely resolution outside scheduled sessions, billed at the relevant hourly rate. Scope, protocols, and fees for these supports are detailed in the Participation Agreement.
Resources for legal practitioners
The following resources are available to assist legal practitioners considering parenting coordination as a referral or in preparing supporting court orders.
Standard Parenting Coordination Order template. An 11-clause template based on the standard order published by Parenting Coordination Australia, drafted under section 13C of the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth) and covering appointment, panel selection, engagement, document provision, role, compliance, and costs. An optional appendix clause is included for disproportionate cost allocation, for use where the parties’ financial circumstances warrant a departure from equal cost-sharing. The template is offered as a starting point for instruction and is intended to be adapted to the requirements of the specific matter.
The Standard Order template is available by completing the form below. Once submitted, the template is sent to your provided email address immediately.
Email addresses are used only for delivery of the requested file and any directly related follow-up, and are not added to a mailing list.
Participation Agreement. The Participation Agreement is reviewed and signed as part of the intake process for each engagement. A working version is available on request to legal practitioners.
Fees
Parenting coordination is charged at $250 per hour, shared equally between parents unless otherwise agreed or ordered — typically $125 per hour for each parent. Weekend, evening, and public holiday sessions are charged at an additional 50% on the standard rate. Communication monitoring and out-of-hours availability are detailed in the Participation Agreement.
A detailed fee schedule is provided at intake.
For both parents
Parenting coordination requires the engagement of both parents to begin. Where one parent is exploring whether parenting coordination 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 to referring legal practitioners considering whether parenting coordination may assist in a particular matter. The call covers what parenting coordination involves, whether it may be suitable in the specific circumstances, and what next steps would look like. There is no fee for the introductory call.
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.
Enquiries
For enquiries beyond the introductory call, see Contact and intake. Each matter is subject to initial discussion to confirm scope, suitability, and arrangements.