Plan development
A testing schedule is developed around the parenting plan, the purpose of monitoring, and the level of identified concern.
Professional Alcohol Monitoring
Soberlink Monitoring for Family-Law Matters
Reliable technology is only one part of an effective monitoring plan.
Professional oversight helps ensure that the testing schedule, reporting, and response to noncompliance remain clear, timely, and aligned with the needs of the case.
Technology and Oversight
Soberlink provides the tool. Professional monitoring manages the plan.
Soberlink is a portable breath-alcohol monitoring system that verifies identity, transmits test results, and documents testing activity. It can provide useful, near-real-time information in family-law cases when the monitoring plan is properly structured.
When parents manage the system directly, however, the concerned parent may become responsible for watching alerts, tracking missed or late tests, negotiating test changes, and deciding how to respond. This can place that parent in the role of monitor and create another source of conflict.
Professional monitoring separates administration of the plan from the parents’ co-parenting relationship.
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Professional Oversight
A neutral structure for a difficult part of the case
Schedule administration
Parenting-time changes and other approved schedule adjustments are managed within one monitoring service.
Results and alerts
Testing data, reports, scheduling functions, and available alerts are administered without requiring the parents to select and coordinate separate software features.
Prompt response
Late tests, missed tests, positive results, and other material irregularities are addressed under the established monitoring agreement or court order.
Clear documentation
Compliance and noncompliance are documented as events occur.
Neutral communication
The concerned parent is removed from the enforcement role, and both parties have a professional point of contact for monitoring issues.
Why Timely Intervention Matters
Noncompliance is most useful when it is addressed promptly.
Without professional oversight, a late or missed test may become another issue for the parents and attorneys to debate. If the concern is not addressed until a later hearing, the circumstances may be difficult to reconstruct and the information may no longer assist immediate decision-making.
Prompt intervention allows the event to be clarified and documented while it is current. It can also deter repeated noncompliance and preserve the integrity of the monitoring plan. The response is guided by the monitoring agreement or court order; the monitor does not make custody decisions or impose consequences.
90%
of concerned parents in a small practice survey reported that Soberlink improved the co-parenting relationship.
77%
of monitored participants in the same survey reported improvement in the co-parenting relationship.
Survey responses were received from six concerned parents and thirteen monitored participants. These practice observations are descriptive and are not presented as formal research.
Fees and Included Services
A straightforward monthly professional-monitoring fee
$300
per month
The $300 monthly monitoring fee includes professional administration of the monitoring plan. In most cases, it also includes the Soberlink data charges paid directly by More Than Recovery.
- Testing-schedule setup and approved schedule changes
- Available testing reports, results, and alerts
- Review and documentation of compliance
- Prompt intervention when a noncompliance issue occurs
- Communication related to administration of the plan
Additional costs: Device purchase and supplemental laboratory testing are separate. When a device is purchased through More Than Recovery, the professional discount received from Soberlink is passed along to the monitored client.
Soberlink device rentals: More Than Recovery does not offer device rentals. Rentals are governed by a contract directly between the monitored client and Soberlink. When a client rents a device, Soberlink manages and bills both the rental and data fees. Those charges are separate from the $300 professional-monitoring fee.
Why the comparison is not dollar-for-dollar: Soberlink’s direct monthly plans price software features and program levels separately. Professional monitoring adds active plan administration, professional review, compliance documentation, and timely intervention.
View Soberlink’s current direct pricing03
When Professional Monitoring Helps
Particularly useful when the case needs more than automated reporting
- The parents have difficulty addressing monitoring concerns directly.
- The concerned parent wants limited involvement in receiving or interpreting test information.
- The parenting schedule changes frequently.
- There is a history of testing disputes, avoidance, intimidation, or noncooperation.
- The attorneys, mediator, parenting coordinator, or court need organized compliance documentation.
- Soberlink is one part of a broader abstinence and recovery monitoring plan.
Begin With an Established Plan
Request Soberlink Monitoring
Before monitoring begins, the purpose, schedule, reporting arrangements, and response to noncompliance should be clearly defined. I am available to consult on proposed monitoring language or to administer an established plan.
Request monitoring information