Parenting Plans Attentive to the Needs of the Divorcing Family

Abstract

Practical parenting plans should prioritise the needs of the divorcing family by giving voice to the feelings, needs and rights of the children while reflecting on the requests of the parents. If the needs of both parents and their children are not signified, parenting plans will be redundant, as families will not be able to implement parenting plans to structure their lives post-divorce and dysfunction will set in. Establishing the needs of the divorcing family is important when professionals structure a parenting plan as representative parenting plans will assist in managing post-divorce conflict dynamics. This article will present rich qualitative data to demonstrate the needs of the divorcing family and alert professionals to the importance of need representation in parenting plans.