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Unmarried Parents
Parents who were never married and need a parenting plan, with no marital estate to divide.
Monday - Friday8:30AM - 5PM
OfficesFairfax | Manassas
Mediation / Custody-Only Mediation
Custody-Only Mediation · Virginia
Just the parenting question, nothing else.
Not every custody dispute comes wrapped in a divorce. When parenting is the only thing in disagreement, mediation can tackle that piece on its own, without opening up property, support, or anything you have no reason to revisit.
First call is a conversation, not a commitment.
The Short Answer
Custody-only mediation focuses just on parenting issues, the schedule, decision-making, and related questions, without opening up the rest of a divorce. It is useful when custody is the only thing in dispute, for example for parents who were never married or who have already settled everything else.
How It Works
Narrow on purpose, and better for it.
People often assume custody is something you only deal with inside a divorce. It is not. Plenty of custody questions stand entirely on their own, and forcing them into a broader process just adds cost and complication. Custody-only mediation keeps the focus where the actual disagreement is: the children.
Custody without a divorce attached
There are several situations where custody is the only open question. Parents who were never married still need a parenting arrangement, and they have no marital property or spousal support to divide. Parents who divorced years ago may have long since settled everything financial, and the only thing they disagree about now is parenting. In both cases, opening a full process would mean dragging in issues that are already resolved or never existed. Custody-only mediation skips all of that.
What it covers
The focus is the parenting arrangement itself: the schedule across both homes, how major decisions about education and health get made, how holidays and breaks are handled, and how the parents communicate and manage exchanges. In other words, it covers everything a parenting plan needs, and nothing it does not. Keeping the scope tight lets both parents put their full attention on getting the arrangement right for the kids.
Why staying narrow helps
A narrower process is usually a faster and less expensive one. There are fewer issues to work through, fewer documents to exchange, and less to argue about. Just as importantly, it keeps the emotional temperature down. When the only thing on the table is the children's schedule, the conversation tends to stay focused on the children, rather than spilling into old grievances about money or property that have nothing to do with parenting.
The court still finalizes it
Like any parenting agreement, the result of custody-only mediation does not stand on a handshake. It gets submitted to the court, which reviews it with the best interests of the child in mind and can enter it as a custody order. Keeping the mediation focused on custody does not change that final step; it just means you reach it faster and with less collateral conflict.
The focusOnly the parenting arrangement: schedule, decisions, holidays, communication.
Who it fitsUnmarried parents, or those who have already settled everything else.
The benefitFaster, less costly, and emotionally contained.
What it skipsProperty, debt, and support that are resolved or never applied.
Still requiredThe court reviews the plan for the child's best interests and enters it.
Keep The Scope On The Kids
When the only thing on the table is the children's arrangement, the conversation stays about the children. It does not spill into old fights over money or property that have nothing to do with parenting. A narrow scope is part of what makes this work.
Note: Custody is decided under Virginia's best-interests-of-the-child standard; confirm current factors as applied to your case.
Corrie Sirkin, Esq.Founding Partner
Attorney Insight
A few honest things about custody on its own.
"When the only thing on the table is the kids, the conversation stays about the kids. That focus is half the value."
I work with a lot of parents who were never married, and with people whose divorce is long behind them but who hit a new snag over parenting. They do not need to relitigate anything financial, and they should not have to. Custody-only mediation lets us put everything into the parenting plan and leave the rest alone. What I like about it is how it keeps the temperature down. There is no property to fight over, so the discussion does not drift into old resentments. We solve the actual problem, the schedule, the decisions, and we get it entered as an order. Clean and focused.
Questions Families Ask
Plain answers about custody-only mediation.
These are the questions parents ask most about mediating custody on its own. If yours is not here, we are happy to answer it directly.
Have a specific question?
Call 571.260.0999 or send us a message.
What is custody-only mediation?
Custody-only mediation focuses just on parenting issues, the schedule, decision-making, and related questions, without opening up the rest of a divorce. It is useful when custody is the only thing in dispute, for example for parents who were never married or who have already settled everything else.
Can you mediate custody without a full divorce?
Yes. Custody disputes do not always come with a divorce. Parents who were never married, or who divorced long ago, can mediate a parenting arrangement on its own. Mediation lets them resolve the custody question directly without involving property or support they have no reason to revisit.
Who uses custody-only mediation?
It fits unmarried parents, parents who have already resolved their divorce but still disagree about parenting, and anyone whose only open issue is custody or visitation. Because it stays narrow, it is often faster and less costly than a broader process.
Does a custody-only agreement go to court?
Yes. Like any parenting agreement, the result is submitted to the court, which reviews it with the best interests of the child in mind and can enter it as a custody order. Keeping the mediation focused on custody does not change that final step.
When You Are Ready
Solve the parenting question, and only that.
Tell us about your situation, and we will help you mediate a parenting arrangement without dragging in anything you have already settled. Three offices across Northern Virginia, one phone number.