This qualitative study used a phenomenological approach to understand the experiences of seven parenting coordinators in using parenting coordination practices that they have found to be effective and would recommend to other parenting coordinators to achieve the following goals: educating parents, increasing the quality of parenting and co-parenting, managing conflict, and involving children and other family members in the process of parenting coordination. Data were collected with semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic coding. Initial findings suggest that there exists useful practice techniques toward achieving these goals, and supports a practice model informed by the evaluation by parenting coordinators of the efficacy of their chosen methods in the context of their practices. Participants report promoting cooperative co-parenting, stress parental autonomy, and supported parental decision making over parenting coordinator recommendations. Practical implications are discussed. / Master of Science

In families where parents present with intimate partner violence dynamics, courts routinely impose restraints restricting communications between those parents. However, the same courts also routinely fashion arrangements whereby those same parents share custody of their children. Children in families with this dynamic are often used as communication facilitators and triangulated by parental conflict. This grounded theory study generated a theory about parenting coordination work with high conflict couples with intimate partner violence dynamics. This theory may have utility for parenting coordinators working more effectively with the described population. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 professional parenting coordinators who have worked with high conflict parents with intimate partner violence. The qualitative data collected were analyzed through open, axial, and selective coding procedures with the additional use of research/mentor triangulation and researcher journaling. Results of this study yielded adaptive parenting coordination for intimate partner violence theory (APCIPV). This theory incorporates findings that specific modifications to the parenting coordination process, along with a concentrated effort to implement structured communication techniques and focused monitoring of exchanges between the parties can lead to coparenting despite the intimate partner violence dynamic. Further, it was revealed that high conflict parents, in general, often present with and report many of the same problematic behaviors even without a formal adjudication of domestic violence. Findings from this study can serve as an evidence basis for promoting the use of parenting coordinators as communication facilitators between high conflict parents with intimate partner violence to remove children from familial triangulation.

Föräldrakoordination är en barnfokuserad alternativ konfliktlösningsmetod som praktiserats i Sverige sedan 2009. Denna intervjustudie har undersökt separerade föräldrars upplevelse av att få stöd i sitt föräldrasamarbete av en föräldrakoordinator. Intervjuer har genomförts med sju föräldrar som haft insatsen föräldrakoordinator under minst sex månader. Samtliga deltagande föräldrar har flera års erfarenhet av svårlösta konflikter med den andra föräldern och har tidigare provat andra former av konfliktlösningsinsatser. Resultaten visar att föräldrarna upplevt metoden som hjälpsam när det gäller att öka samarbetsförmågan, sänka konfliktnivån och förbättra barnens mående. Flertalet av de intervjuade föräldrarna beskriver att de upplevt att det framförallt varit hjälpsamt att få stöd med att strukturera kommunikationen dem emellan. Att ha tillgång till mer information om de gemensamma barnen har förbättrat såväl föräldraskapet som relationen till barnet. Att slippa sitta i gemensamma samtal, att få göra skriftliga överenskommelser och att föräldrakoordinatorn haft ett tydligt barnfokus i samtalen tas också upp som hjälpsamt. Föräldrarna beskriver att det för att nå dessa resultat är viktigt att föräldrakoordinatorn kan förhålla sig neutral i konflikten. / Parenting Coordination is a child-focused alternative dispute resolution approach practiced in Sweden since 2009. In this interview study separated parents experience of being supported in their parental cooperation by a parenting coordinator have been examined. Interviews have been conducted with seven parents who have had a Parenting Coordinator for at least six months. All participating parents have had several years of experience in an intractable conflict with the other parent, and has previously tried other forms of dispute solving measures. The results show that most parents have experienced that the method has been helpful when it comes to improving co-parenting skills, reducing conflict and improving the well-being of their children. The interviewed parents state that it has been most helpful to get support in structuring the communication with the other parent. Some say that having access to more information regarding common children improves parenting as well as the parent-child relationship. Not having to sit together in shared dialogue, getting help to make written agreements and the Parenting Coordinator having a clear child-focus in meetings are also addressed as helpful. Parents describe that in order to achieve said results it is important that the parenting-coordinator can remain neutral in the conflict.

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