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,

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, informed by more than 500 parenting plans that I have drafted during the past two decades in the full-time private practice of family law mediation.

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 is a component of the divorce paperwork that becomes binding once it is signed by the judge, and it also functions post-divorce as a "manual" for co-parenting. It addresses the state-required decisions and dozens more points that are worth taking the time to agree on in mediation before problems develop later, including:

Legal custody foundational framework for legal custody, not just a box to check for sole custody or joint custody.
Residential structure and parenting time schedule framework
Exchanges and logistics
Communication, privacy, and co-parent interaction
Parenting standards, household expectations, and safety
Financial coordination and cost-sharing
Long-term stability, future modification, and dispute resolution

At a Glance

ORS 107.102 allows a detailed parenting plan, but it offers only limited prompts and little guidance as to create your own terms. The result is that divorcing parties either don't know that they can have a more comprehensive plan, or they draft provisions that turn out to be unenforceable because they are too vague or are not written to be legally significant.

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.

The Problem the PACT Was Created to Solve

The PACT closes the gaps left by Oregon law. Here is a comparison of each component of the parenting and custody provisions of the Oregon divorce forms:

Section 1: Legal Custody

Planning ahead for a successful co-parenting relationship requires a clear and detailed framework for making major decisions. Joint custody is broadly manageable and more conducive to your children's best interests -- if you have the comprehensive "manual" that the PACT materials will help you develop in mediation with my help.

Section 2: Residential Structure and Parenting Time Framework

Oregon's forms address six basic questions in this category. The PACT treats those questions more comprehensively and adds six more topics to consider.

Exchanges and Logistics: The PACT includes seven helpful categories, providing a clearer framework than the three topics the state forms address concerning those themes. I offer four topics related to establishing two suitable homes for the children – details that the state forms do not discuss.
I significantly expand upon the Oregon forms’ cursory references to information sharing, communication, and mutual respect. A simple line or two does not provide enough guidance to parents, particularly those who are or may eventually be in significant conflict. The PACT protocol takes a more meticulous approach to the topics that the state forms only touch on.
Section 4 adds five more topics for parents to include in their parenting plans to supplement the state’s minimal requirements – two topics that have been relevant for generations and two that will allow your parenting plan to adapt to the technological advancements we now consider indispensable.

I do not publish the specific text of the PACT provisions, as they are proprietary, but my mediation clients have full access to them.

The Solutions

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
Request a Free Consultation

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.

APPLY TO BECOME A CLIENT