Staying Connected to Your Child Through Audio and Video Calls

By Brad Benedetto, Esq
 

There’s a lot of adjusting to do when co-parenting after a divorce or separation. One of the hardest parts, for both you and your child, is simply being away from each other when they’re with your co-parent. Audio and video calls can help you stay close when you’re apart, or even help you grow closer. 

A video chat can’t fully replace time spent together in person, but it can help you maintain a regular point of connection. This type of direct or indirect contact can even be written into your child arrangement order, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be. Many parents find ways to touch base with their children remotely on the days they’re not together in person. 

OurFamilyWizard, a co-parenting app, is designed for communication between co-parents. But our new feature, Calls, was also designed to connect co-parents and their kids through video or audio calling. Calls are safe, secure, and automatically documented.  
 

When is using audio and video calls a good idea? 

Indirect contact can occur in several ways, including through web-based services like video calls. OurFamilyWizard keeps accurate documentation of calls, so it's great for officially scheduled virtual parenting time. As it's simple and convenient, it's great for casual chats anytime.

For long-distance parenting after relocation

If one parent moves away with the child, audio and video calls can help the other parent stay in contact without excessive travelling. Also, if the child stays with that parent over the summer, the other parent might enjoy catching up virtually during the summer.  

For casual conversations and sharing little moments 

Spending time with your child through indirect contact doesn’t have to be serious and official. It can be a casual conversation—maybe you have news to share, or your child lost a tooth or won an award, or maybe you just miss each other. Chat about it live! 

For week on, week off schedules 

If you use a week on, week off parenting schedule (or another rotation, like a 60/40, 70/30, or 80/20 plan), a midweek video call can help you stay connected during your week off.  

When you’re struggling to agree in mediation  

If both parents are close to agreeing on a parenting schedule, but there’s an impasse, adding an hour of indirect contact can help you move forward.  

Especially if the parenting time agreement is not 50/50, audio and video calls can help the parent with less parenting time see their kid on a more regular basis. 

When there’s a safety issue 

If there are any safety concerns—such as a domestic abuse situation or a substance abuse problem—indirect contact may provide a safer way for the child to see that parent. Documentation is important here, too. If the indirect contact can be documented, it’s a safer and more accountable option. (Sometimes, of course, even virtual parenting time isn’t a safe option.) 

For additional safety, the Calls feature on OurFamilyWizard doesn’t require your phone number, which helps prevent cyberstalking and keeps personal information private. Calls also requires consent – if you don’t turn on consent, your co-parent can’t place a call to you.  

When you're building trust and scaling your parenting time 

Indirect contact is often useful when parents are working on rebuilding trust between a parent and child. In these cases, parents often begin with supervised parenting time, which can be a great tool for strengthening the parent-child relationship—but it can also be costly, and it can sometimes be difficult to find open slots at supervised parenting time facilities. Audio and video calling is a helpful supplement that is less expensive and more flexible.  

Indirect contact can also be used as an intermediate step when a parent is working towards unsupervised, direct contact. OurFamilyWizard’s documentation features can help the other parent, and even the court, feel more comfortable with this arrangement. 
 

Why is documentation important for audio and video calls?  

When considering indirect contact, people often worry that it won’t actually happen, or that their co-parent will be late or will place a phone call instead of video calling. That’s why documentation is so important. In OurFamilyWizard, Calls documents the date, when each call starts and ends, and when anyone turns their camera or mic off or on.  

If one parent has been granted communication with their child indirectly, but the other parent doesn’t comply—for example, if they don’t answer their co-parent’s call at the designated time—then that parent may be held in contempt by the court.  

With Calls, there’s clear accountability. That makes it easier for the parents to agree on making it a part of the child arrangement order. This also helps the judge or mediator feel more confident and comfortable in the opportunity to reach a resolution. This additional layer of security and accountability can also help you avoid additional litigation. 
 

Audio and video calls help you stay connected when you’re apart 

Calls can help your child stay connected to both you and their other parent, even when you’re apart. Whether you want a quick chat to share something fun or you’re rebuilding a relationship, seeing each other’s faces and hearing each other’s voices creates a sense of connection in a special way.