Parenting Class and Mediation Requirement for Parents Involved in Oregon Family Court Cases
If you are going through a divorce, custody, or legal separation case in Oregon and have children, most counties require you to:
- Take a short parenting class, and
- Use the court’s free mediation program to try to work out disagreements about your children outside of court.
You need to finish these steps before you can wrap up your court case.
Parenting class requirement
You will need to take a short parenting class before you can wrap up your case. Each county has its own approved classes. These classes may be offered online or in person.
To meet this requirement, follow these steps:
- Check the court website to see which class your county requires.
- Sign up for the class.
- Attend the entire class.
- Turn in your certificate of completion to your court.
Mediation requirement
Most Oregon counties also ask you to try their free mediation services to work out custody and parenting time disagreements without going to court.
To meet this requirement, follow these steps:
- Check your court paperwork for information on how to participate in mediation.
- If you did not get any mediation paperwork, call your local circuit court for help.
- Contact your court's mediation program and follow their instructions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Mediation is when a neutral person, called a mediator, helps couples reach agreements on the issues in their case. This can happen in one meeting or over several meetings.
During mediation, the mediator listens to both sides to understand their goals and concerns. Then, the mediator helps parents find solutions they can both agree on.
Read our articles on custody and parenting time mediation or divorce mediation to learn more about the process and what to expect.
Court-approved parenting classes for divorcing or separating parents usually cover topics like:
- How parents can support their children during a divorce or separation.
- Skills for co-parenting after a separation.
Most court-required parenting classes cost between $40 and $70.
If the cost is too high, you can ask the court about a fee waiver. In some situations, the court can waive the fee.
If you do not feel safe talking to the other person in your case, you have options:
- Modified mediation process: Tell the mediator about your concerns. The mediator can meet with you and the other person separately or suggest other ways to help you feel safe during mediation.
- No mediation: You can also ask your local court to excuse you from participating in mediation. To do this, fill out and file the court's Motion to Order or Waive Mediation form.
Contact your local family court facilitator for free help with your family court case. You can learn more about facilitators here.