For many parents who separate, co-parenting and communicating with the other parent can be something of a minefield. So, just what is the approach of the Court when these kinds of issues arise?
In recent years, the short answer to this is Parenting Apps. There are many on the market that we have seen included in Court Orders, such as Our Family Wizard, AppClose, TalkingParents and 2houses, to name but a few.
Some of the apps are free, but as with anything, it is worth looking at how your data is being used if a service is being provided for free.
Most of the apps will offer a subscription service at different prices depending on the level of service your family needs.
Carla Williams, a Chartered Practitioner in our Family Team, recently met with Our Family Wizard to take a tour of their ever-expanding features, which include:
- Notifications can be controlled by the user to stop multiple messages per day which can be triggering for some people and avoids blocking and unblocking on Whatsapp, etc
- Available in English, Spanish, French with new languages regularly being added
- Messages cannot be edited
- There is an AI Tone Checker feature which users can implement to check the tone of their messages before sending to avoid using inflammatory language
- Calendar available for both parties to see where child is supposed to be on a given day
- Photos and videos can be uploaded just like social media for the other parent to see but no emoji feature, again to avoid triggering
- Check in feature that can be useful to evidence how and when handovers have/haven’t taken place
- Information Bank which can store all sorts of useful information such as shoe size, clothing sizes, allergies, medical information, etc
- Expenses feature to include requesting other parent to contribute towards/by a percentage direct through the app
- Telephone and video call feature that can be restricted so the non-resident parent may only call at an allocated time – also available is the ability to record these sessions if both agree, with recordings and transcripts available for up to 12 months
- Restricted access for wider family e.g. step-parents or grandparents facilitating contact
- “Pro Access” feature whereby solicitors and mediators can be added for free and have access to various features as permitted by the CL so can download messages, etc directly.
For more information, head over to OurFamilyWizard | The Best Coparenting App or indeed any of the various Parenting Apps out there to check out their features and pricing plans to see if any could help iron out communication and information-sharing in your co-parenting journey.
If communication is becoming more difficult then contact us here at Higgins Miller Solicitors where a confidential conversation with one of our team can help put your mind at rest.