Our Family Wizard is an online communication resource that Connecticut judges have been ordering families to use to manage co-parenting issues.
The gizmo has been around since 2001 so it is not exactly new technology. Recently though I have seen it utilized more and more – especially in high conflict custody cases.
Here’s what it can do:
- Coordinate parenting time by using a shared family calendar;
- Log expenses and keep track of payments;
- Allow access to the child’s health, school and other pertinent records;
- Store email securely with date and time of correspondence;
- Send automated notices/reminders.
Read a recent article about this topic here:
Joint Custody, From a Distance – NYTimes.com
The feedback I have received about Our Family Wizard is generally favorable. I do think it decreases friction and tension by policing parents who might otherwise be unreasonable or unneccesarily combative.
Above all I like that the program eliminates any notion that the children should ever act as messengers between parents.