The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many things to spiral out of control. Parents are having to do double duty as teachers, and many are working from home while being a full-time caretaker for their children. The shelter-in-place orders in many jurisdictions have led to confusion about parents’ rights and what they should do to ensure the health of their children and themselves.

At the same time, there may be limited resources available to address these issues with courts around the country closed because of the virus. Self-help centers may not be available to assist. Parents who do not have emergencies may have to wait to seek any intervention from the court until after the crisis has subsided, at which point, the issue may be null and void.

Many problems may go unresolved, such as parents missing long periods of visitation with their children, how to address support payments when there is a change in income or how lost parenting time should be made up.

In response to these concerns, many mediators across the country are offering their services in innovative ways. For example, they may offer telephone consultations to help answer questions or resolve issues with parents. Others are providing remote mediation through video conferencing to help parents make amicable agreements regarding custody, visitation, and emergency plans. This forum can help families effectively resolve issues involving visitation concerns arising out of quarantine and the possibility of infection, support issues, and changes to plans to account for the evolving situation.