A Family Stability Program

To help parents better understand the impact of divorce on their children, and to encourage a focus on the child’s needs during this transition, the Scioto County Domestic Relations Court requires parents to attend the Successful Co-Parenting program.

Divorce can be one of the most significant and life-altering events in a child’s life. It often leaves children feeling emotionally overwhelmed. While it is impossible to shield children entirely from the pain of divorce, there are ways to help them cope and adjust.

Unlike the loss of a loved one, divorce involves a choice, a decision made by one or both parents without the child’s input. This lack of control can leave children feeling helpless. Divorce permanently changes a family’s structure and can deeply influence a child’s future views on marriage and family life.

As a divorcing parent, you will encounter new challenges as you help your child process these emotions. To support families through this difficult time, Scioto County requires parents who are dissolving their marriage to attend a three-hour seminar called Successful Co-Parenting.

Parents must complete the program, offered at a minimal cost, within 60 days of filing for divorce with the Scioto County Domestic Relations Court. The seminar covers essential topics, including:

• Visitation and custody issues

• Changing parenting roles

• Communication skills

• The effects of stress on a child’s development

• Strategies for managing the emotional challenges of divorce

Most importantly, the program emphasizes how negative interactions between parents can harm children emotionally. Through this seminar, parents will learn practical skills to help their child adjust to a new family structure in a healthier and more positive way.

Successful Co-Parenting was developed and is presented in collaboration with The Ohio State University Extension.