Guides
Guides for separated parents.
Practical, plain-English guides on documenting co-parent communication, what holds up in family court, and how to write messages that don't escalate. Written by Ben Slater, who built It's In Writing after three years of using Our Family Wizard through his own separation.
Australia
View section index →Australian-specific guides for separated parents.
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The best co-parenting communication apps in Australia (2026 review)There are four serious co-parenting communication apps available to Australian parents in 2026: Our Family Wizard (US-built, established, expensive), Talking Parents (US-built, mid-priced, includes call recording), 2hous…
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A cheaper alternative to Our Family Wizard for Australian parentsIf Our Family Wizard's pricing is the reason you are looking elsewhere, the cheapest serious alternative for Australian parents is It's In Writing — A$39.95 per parent per year, or A$79.90 to cover both parents on one ca…
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Our Family Wizard alternatives in Australia (2026)Our Family Wizard is the dominant co-parent communication app in Australia, but it was built for the American court system and charges around A$199 to A$399 per parent per year. Three lighter alternatives are available t…
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Our Family Wizard cost in Australia: what you actually pay (2026)Our Family Wizard charges Australian parents around A$199 per parent per year for the Essentials tier and around A$399 per parent per year for the Premium tier (current pricing 2026). Because OFW charges per parent rathe…
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Talking Parents vs Our Family Wizard vs It's In WritingTalking Parents and Our Family Wizard are the two US-built incumbents in the co-parenting communication space. It's In Writing is the Australian-built alternative, designed specifically for the AU court system. The hones…
Guides
View section index →Practical, plain-English guides on documenting co-parent communication.
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How to write a co-parent message that won't escalate (BIFF in plain English)BIFF stands for Brief, Informative, Friendly, Firm — a four-rule framework developed by Bill Eddy for writing communications in high-conflict situations. The rules are: keep messages short (Brief), stick to facts only (I…
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What to do when your co-parent won't communicate in writingIf the other parent refuses to use a written-record platform, you have three options that compound: (1) use the platform yourself for everything you send, regardless of their participation; (2) follow up every phone call…
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How to document co-parent communication for court (Australia)To document co-parent communication for the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (FCFCOA), use a tamper-resistant platform that server-stores every message with verified timestamps and read receipts. Export to P…
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Family Court of Australia: evidence rules for parents (2026)The Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (FCFCOA) operates under the Evidence Act 1995 (Cth) and the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia Rules 2021. For parents documenting co-parent communication, thr…
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What is a hash chain? Why courts care about tamper-proof messagingA hash chain is a sequence of messages where each one is cryptographically linked to the one before it using a SHA-256 fingerprint. Change a single character in any message and the chain breaks from that point forward in…
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Money in writing: school fees, medical, and extras — getting it on the recordMoney disputes are the second-most-common category of co-parent communication after handovers, and they account for a disproportionate share of matters that escalate. The discipline that prevents them: confirm every shar…
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Parallel parenting vs co-parenting: which is right for you?Co-parenting and parallel parenting are two distinct approaches to raising children after separation. Co-parenting involves active collaboration — joint decisions, flexible communication, shared events. Parallel parentin…
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Pickup, drop-off, and the school run: communication that holds up laterPickup and drop-off communication is the highest-volume, highest-friction category of co-parent messaging. Most disputes about parenting arrangements eventually trace back to specific handover incidents — late arrivals, …
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Screenshots vs an immutable record: what holds up in family court?Screenshots of text messages are admissible in the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, but they are evidentiarily weaker than messages produced by a tamper-resistant platform. Screenshots are easy to dispute (…
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Are text messages admissible in Family Court Australia?Yes — text messages are generally admissible as evidence in the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (FCFCOA). They are treated as electronic records under the Evidence Act 1995 (Cth). Their evidentiary weight d…
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What is BIFF? A practical guide for separated parentsBIFF is a written-communication framework for high-conflict situations, developed by Bill Eddy of the High Conflict Institute. It stands for Brief, Informative, Friendly, Firm — the four properties every written reply sh…