Getting started with CommonGround
Getting started only takes a few minutes. You can set up your account on your own, then invite the other parent when you’re ready. Here’s how it works.
Getting started
Download CommonGround and create your account in just a few minutes.
You can start with free messaging straight away. If you choose Pro, you’ll also unlock the shared calendar, shared documents and photos, private storage, downloadable reports and professional access.
Inviting the other parent
Invite your co-parent using their email address — there’s no need to exchange phone numbers.
They’ll receive an invitation to download CommonGround and create their own account. Once they join, you can start messaging each other for free.
If Pro features are being used, you can also share calendars, documents, photos and other information through your shared areas.
Neither parent is the main account holder. Both parents have equal access to the shared parts of CommonGround, while anything kept in your private area stays visible only to you.
You don’t have to send an invitation straight away. You can set up CommonGround first and invite the other parent when you’re ready.
If the other parent doesn't join
CommonGround works best when both parents use it. Messaging, shared calendars and shared information become much more useful once you’re both connected.
You can still continue using Pro on your own for the practical side of co-parenting — keeping calendars, documents, photos, private information and reports organised in one place.
Sometimes a mediator, solicitor, social worker, family member or other professional may be able to encourage the other parent to try CommonGround. You can also resend the invitation whenever the time feels right.
We can’t make another parent join, but you can still use CommonGround to keep your own co-parenting information organised in the meantime.
Start with what matters
You don’t need to organise everything at once. Start with what matters most, then gradually add dates, documents, schoolwork and photos as you go.
If communication is difficult — start your next co-parenting conversation in CommonGround instead of by text or WhatsApp.
If keeping track of dates is difficult — start with upcoming handovers, school dates, holidays and appointments, then build your shared calendar from there.
If paperwork is difficult — start with the things you’re always looking for, such as school information, health records, important letters or travel documents.
What you share — and what stays private
They can see: messages you send, shared calendar events and changes, and anything you add to shared documents.
They can’t see: your private area, account settings, device information or anything you haven’t sent.
Messages show when they’ve been read, but CommonGround doesn’t show a “last online” status. The focus stays on co-parenting arrangements, not monitoring each other.
Once a message is sent, it can’t be edited or deleted.
Private to you
Keep notes, photos and documents in your own private area. Create folders to stay organised, and use your private notepad for important information you want to keep close at hand.
Nothing in your private area is shared automatically. Moving something into a shared space requires a deliberate action, so it can’t be shared by accident.
When plans change
Plans change, and CommonGround makes those changes clear to both parents.
If a shared calendar event needs updating, the proposed change is shown clearly to the other parent, including what has changed. They can then review and accept the update.
This helps keep arrangements clear and avoids changes happening without the other parent knowing.
Professional access, when you need it
If you begin working with a solicitor, mediator, CAFCASS officer or another professional, you can choose to give them access from within CommonGround.
You decide what they can see and can remove their access at any time. Professional access is optional and doesn’t change how you use CommonGround day to day.
Ready to start?
Download CommonGround now and get started.