Before the session
- Open the seminar 15 minutes early. Play a few seconds of a video to check the sound.
- In a room: a laptop, a screen or projector, and speakers. Use Chrome or Edge, and press F for full screen.
- Online (Google Meet or Zoom): share the browser tab, not the whole screen, and tick share tab audio so people hear the videos. Admit people as they arrive.
- Have the helplines ready. In Australia: Lifeline 13 11 14, 1800RESPECT 1800 737 732, Emergency 000. Anywhere else: www.findahelpline.com.
Running it
- About 60 minutes, including 21 minutes of video. Arrow keys move through it, up goes to the start, down to the end.
- Press N for your notes on each slide. Hide them before you share your screen.
- It is a silent seminar: every question can be answered in people's heads. Invite answers, never require them.
- Say the ground rules out loud: no names, no stories about the other parent, you never have to share.
- Ask the question, then wait a full ten seconds. Reflect answers back; don't correct.
Keeping people safe
- Parallel parenting is for high conflict, not for situations where someone is afraid. Say so plainly when you reach the safety slide.
- If a parent tells you they or their children are not safe: stay calm, thank them, speak privately if you can, and give them the helplines. If anyone is in immediate danger, call the emergency number.
- Don't promise to keep something secret. Follow your own organisation's policies, including any duty you have to report concerns about children.
- Never suggest a parent negotiate their way out of violence.
- If two former partners turn up to the same session, keep it general, keep the no-names rule firm, and offer either of them a different session.
After the session
- The last slide shows the course QR code. Leave it up while people leave; they can scan it on the way out.
- This is general education, not legal or counselling advice. For their own situation, point parents to a family lawyer, a mediator or a counsellor.