If you are divorced or separated and co-parenting a child, then you should know that it is not an easy task and comes with its own set of challenges.
To be a good co-parent, you need to be able to effectively and respectfully communicate with the other parent, and the child’s needs should always be the first priority.
A proudly South African app called Co-Parent is aiming to simplify the communication process between parents.
The Co-Parent app has the primary focus to facilitate and improve communication between parents, to ensure the best interests of the child are met.
This is ideal for parents who are divorced, separated, do not live together, or who have busy schedules.
The app was created by the Social Justice Foundation, which, since it was founded in 2006, has assisted more than 10 000 families in resolving family disputes creatively and effectively, without unnecessary intervention through the courts.
Anneke Greyvenstein, managing director of the Social Justice Foundation and co-creator of the app, said working together on child-care arrangements post-separation can be tricky if you are a parent who does not communicate well.
According to Greyvenstein, with approximately 13 million children in South Africa growing up without both biological parents in one home, their focus is on the children and their best interests.
“Due to the enormous need for intervention in family disputes, the traditional approaches don’t have the capacity to deliver justice timeously to children and families. For many court users who have no alternative options, justice becomes a tedious and sometimes impossible exercise and that is what gave rise to the Co-Parent App - a tool that is ready to use and immediately available”, explained Greyvenstein.
And what does the Co-Parent offer?
The app offers a downloadable, predefined shared calendar schedule, which can be tailored to each family, an instant communication platform which saves all communication between parents, a payment facility to record all payment requests and payments made between parents, a document storage facility and professional assistance from trained Social Justice members.
The subscription for the app is R50 per person annually and will amount to R100 per year for both parents.
Eugene Opperman, a parent from Somerset West, said he learned of the Co-Parent app during a mediation conference.
He said: “The app is a valuable tool that attorneys and mediators could recommend to clients dealing with high-conflict family issues such as divorce or parental disputes. We are using the app and I would definitely recommend it to others who are co-parenting. It is a brilliant initiative and tool.”
Mari Sassenberg, a parent from Pretoria, agrees. She learned of the App through Social Justice.
“It reduces emotional tension between parents and removes uncertainty around expenses - maintenance can now form part of your credit profile – only and first portal for parents to submit their information.”
She is of the opinion that it can act as a mediation tool.
“(It’s a) wonderful initiative that helps families maintain a sense of 'family unit' even if the parents are no longer together.”
Weekend Argus