Tools for Tampa Bay Guardians ad Litem, Therapists and Mediators

A co-parenting app and case tools you can recommend to the Tampa Bay families you work with, whether you serve as a guardian ad litem, a therapist, or a mediator. Messaging between co-parents is free for both parents, and every message is time-stamped and tamper-evident.

If you serve as a guardian ad litem, a therapist, or a mediator for families in Tampa Bay, you already know the pattern: two parents, one child, and a record of what happened that lives in two different phones. FamilyCourtHelp.com gives the parents you work with one organized place for co-parent messages, schedules, parenting plans, expenses, and records, so the time they spend with you, and in front of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court, Unified Family Court Division, goes to the children instead of the screenshots.

Florida uses its own words, "timesharing" where many states say custody and "time-sharing schedule" where they say visitation, and the tools follow Florida's terms so the papers parents bring you read the way the court reads them.

Area covered: Hillsborough County.

Court for custody cases: Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court, Unified Family Court Division (Hillsborough County).

Appointed for the child: Guardian ad litem.

Custody mediation: Often ordered by the judge (Family mediation).

Parenting coordinators: Set by state law or court rule (Fla. Stat. § 61.125).

Parenting class: Required statewide (Parent Education and Family Stabilization Course).

State family law: Florida Statutes Chapter 61 - Dissolution of Marriage.

What Florida calls custody: timesharing.

Co-parent messaging (Free): One time-stamped, tamper-evident thread, free for both parents, with a Tone Meter that offers calmer rewrites.

Invite a professional into the conversation (Free): A parent can add a guardian ad litem or mediator to the co-parent conversation with a single-use link.

Parenting plan, built and shared (Free to build): Parents draft a parenting plan and can share it with you to read and comment on.

Verify a chat export (Free): Check that an exported message record (the JSON file) has not been changed. No account needed.

Court-Grade Journal (Paid plan): A dated, no-delete journal; a parent can send you a packet of chosen entries.

Expense Tracker (Paid plan): Shared child costs with receipts; a parent can give you a view-only look.

Parents can create an account and message their co-parent for free, with no credit card. Building a parenting plan is free; sharing, downloading, and printing it, and the tools marked as a paid plan, are part of a monthly plan a parent can start and stop.

For guardians ad litem in Tampa Bay

In Florida, the court can appoint a guardian ad litem in a custody case. What the role involves is in the FAQ below.

Nothing here opens a family's account to you on its own. When a parent wants you in, they send a single-use invitation into the co-parent conversation; you join with your own free account, see the full thread and the shared calendar's change requests, and can post. They can also share the parenting plan for you to read and comment on.

For therapists and counselors in Tampa Bay

Court-involved therapists, reunification therapists, co-parenting counselors, and custody evaluators in Tampa Bay get no seat in the conversation and no access to accounts. Parents keep their own time-stamped record and decide what to show you, which keeps your role clear. For co-parenting work, the Tone Meter in the free messenger shows a parent how a message will land and offers a calmer version before it is sent.

For mediators and parenting coordinators in Tampa Bay

In Florida, custody mediation is often ordered by the judge. Parenting coordinators are set by state law or court rule (Fla. Stat. § 61.125). The details are in the FAQ below.

Parents can bring you in before the first meeting in Tampa Bay: a single-use link adds you to the co-parent conversation, and a shared parenting plan lets you read the draft and comment on it. After the session, what was agreed stays in writing in the thread, and schedule changes run through the shared calendar's request and approval record.

Parenting coordinators can be added to a shared plan as a viewer who reads and comments.

Family court programs in Tampa Bay

Custody cases in Tampa Bay are heard in the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court, Unified Family Court Division. The court-connected programs below were checked against official sources.

Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Mediation and Diversion Services: The circuit's mediation office for family law cases. Parents may be ordered to mediation by the court, or may agree to mediate without an order.

If you searched for a guardian ad litem, a family therapist, or a custody mediator in Tampa Bay, the court that has your case, the order in it, or your lawyer is the place to find who is appointed or approved. This site does not appoint professionals or refer you to one. What you can do here is come prepared: keep every message with your co-parent in one time-stamped thread, write down what happened with dates while it is fresh, and work on a parenting plan before the meeting.

Free help for parents in Tampa Bay: the court help desks and legal aid offices below were checked link by link for the site's free pro se help directory.

Hillsborough: Thirteenth Circuit Family Forms Clinic, (813) 864-2280. A courthouse clinic that helps people without a lawyer fill out family law forms.

Hillsborough legal aid: Bay Area Legal Services, (800) 625-2257.

FamilyCourtHelp.com is a self-help platform, not a law firm and not a court, and nothing on this page is legal, clinical, or mediation advice. Court rules and local programs change, so confirm anything that matters for a case with the court, the order that appointed you, or the program itself.

Frequently asked questions

Where are custody cases heard in Tampa Bay?

In Hillsborough County, the Unified Family Court Division of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit hears divorce, paternity, child support, adoption and cases about the care of and access to children.

Is there a court mediation program in Tampa Bay?

Yes. Families with a case in the local court can use Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Mediation and Diversion Services. What it offers, and the official link, are in the family court programs section above.

Where can parents in Tampa Bay get free help with a family court case?

Free court help for parents without a lawyer: Thirteenth Circuit Family Forms Clinic. Free legal aid: Bay Area Legal Services. Phone numbers and links are in the parents section above, checked link by link for the site's free pro se help directory.

How can parents prepare for custody mediation in Tampa Bay?

Bring the family calendar, a draft parenting plan, a list of the issues still open, and a list of shared costs with receipts. Parents can put all of that together on FamilyCourtHelp.com before the first session. Families with a case in the local court can ask about Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Mediation and Diversion Services.

What does a guardian ad litem do in a Tampa Bay custody case?

In a family case the court may appoint a guardian ad litem for the child. The guardian ad litem may look into the issues, interview the child and others after notice, ask the court for access to records, and give the court recommendations on agreements that affect the child. You may also see "GAL". The rule is in Fla. Stat. § 61.403. This is general information, not legal advice; the order in the case controls.

Is custody mediation required in Florida?

In circuits that have a family mediation program, once the court finds a dispute it must send custody, visitation and other parenting issues to mediation. On a party's request, the court will not order mediation if there is a history of domestic violence that would compromise the process.

Does Florida use parenting coordinators?

Florida has a state law on parenting coordination for family cases with children.

Do parents in Florida have to take a parenting class?

Parents in a divorce with minor children, and in paternity cases that decide parenting issues, must finish this course. It runs at least 4 hours and must be approved by the Department of Children and Families.