HEALTHY CO-PARENTING RUBRIC

HEALTHY CO-PARENTING RUBRIC

1. Healthy co-parenting is based on civility of relationship between parents.
2. Healthy co-parents support clear emotional boundaries across the two sides of the divorce duplex.
3. Healthy co-parenting leads with the child(ren)’s best interest in mind.
4. Healthy co-parents work to increase experiences that create opportunities for success and mastery for the child(ren) in both homes.
5. Healthy co-parents accept reasonable regional differences in rules between the two sides of the divorce duplex (eg. Mom’s/dad’s house mom’s/dad’s rules).
6. Healthy co-parents work together to maintain a healthy generational boundary across the two sides of the divorce duplex.
7. Healthy co-parents work to decrease the polarization between the two sides of the divorce duplex.
8. Healthy co-parents encourage and support loving relationships between the child(ren) and both parents, extended family members, new partners.
9. Healthy co-parenting includes a positive co-constructed narrative of the re-structured family.
10. Healthy co-parents create ease in supporting child(ren) in transitions between homes.
11. Healthy co-parents support the child(ren) with: healthy emotion regulation strategies, critical thinking skills, and moderate behaviors in both homes.
12. Healthy co-parents share the information they have regarding the child(ren)’s developmental needs and progress.
13. Healthy co-parents work together to support child(ren)’s healthy expression of self-concept.
14. Healthy co-parents communicate in a direct fashion with one another regarding information shared by the child(ren) that supports a reduction in negative reporting from the child(ren).
15. Healthy co-parents have an absence of negative communication in their co-parenting and between the parents and the child(ren); free of blame statements, derogatory or competitive statements.
16. Healthy co-parents follow through on agreements made in their parenting plan.
17. Healthy co-parents respect communication agreements (eg. Emailing, texting, calling length, purpose and content)
18. Healthy co-parents agree to a draft parenting schedule approximately a year in advance.
19. Healthy co-parents have a modification and review plan agreed to regarding scheduling issues related to special circumstances for the child(ren).
20. Healthy co-parents have a clear agreement around transition locations and driving arrangements.
21. Healthy co-parents have clear agreements around shared items for the child(ren) (eg. sporting equipment, technology devices)
22. Healthy co-parents allow the child(ren )to transition personal items between homes. (eg. Clothes, special toys, books)
23. Healthy co-parents have an agreed to forum for managing disputes as they arise including agreeing to go to mediation verses entrenching in conflict for new issues that arise.
24. Healthy co-parents follow through on agreements made through the use of an appropriate co-parenting decision making model (eg. Registration process for extra-curricular activities, supporting child(ren) in maintaining contact with both parents, reporting on medical/dental appointments).
25. Healthy co-parents do not bring up old historical conflicts when attempting to resolve current co-parenting conflicts.
26. Healthy co-parents make every effort to insulate child(ren) from adult conflicts.

Sharon M. Smith, M.A., R. Psych #2709
Creating Solutions Inc.
2017