The Parenting and Custody Toolkit (PACT):
Mediator Matthew House's 78 Points for Joint Custody and Co-Parenting Success
A detailed parenting plan is the single most important part of your Marital Settlement Agreement, if you have minor children, The PACT is the product of two years of research combined with two decades of experience as a family law mediator and the drafting skills of a law-degreed professional.
Problems that the PACT Addresses and Solves
In most divorce mediation practices, parenting plans get less attention than the financial pieces of a divorce settlement.
Further, even when mediators genuinely believe that their parenting plans are adequate, they are often incomplete and overly vague -- sometimes functionally unusable. Yes, they pass the minimum requirements to complete the divorce and get the judge to sign the judgment, but they leave great uncertainty as to how to navigate their many unaddressed issues. I have rewritten more than 100 inadequate and/or ambiguous parenting plans brought to me by clients who had previously worked with other mediators.
My 78-point Parenting and Custody Toolkit, or PACT, is the meticulous framework I created from 2023 to 2025 and launched in my practice in 2026, having drafted more than 500 parenting plans over the past two decades in private practice. I use the PACT collaboratively with my clients during mediation sessions to identify, analyze, and draft child-related provisions customized to their present circumstances and anticipated post-divorce needs.
The PACT closes the gaps left by Oregon law. ORS 107.102 allows a detailed parenting plan, but it offers only 12 categories of decisions. That's nowhere near enough for a comprehensive plan that solves short-term problems and prevents long-term.
A detailed parenting plan is the single most important part of your Marital Settlement Agreement, if you have minor children, The PACT is the product of two years of research combined with two decades of experience as a family law mediator and the drafting skills of a law-degreed professional.
Conclusion and Next Steps
A strong parenting plan answers the recurring practical questions that families are most likely to face, with a framework to address the ones that can't easily be anticipated. With the elements of the PACT that apply to your family, I will help you build a structure that you can use to stay informed, connected, and collaborative.
If you would like to discuss the suitability of mediation for an upcoming divorce, please feel free to contact me to schedule a consultation.
Matthew House J.D. | Divorce Mediation
3800 SW Cedar Hills Blvd., Suite 271
Beaverton, OR 97005
(503) 643-5284
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Matthew House's practice is neutral, limited to divorce mediation and financial analysis. He holds a law degree but is not a member of the Oregon State Bar. No information provided on 503.legal constitutes legal advice. The use of this website does not form a mediator-client relationship.
© 2026 by Matthew House. All rights reserved.