Whilst you may no longer have a relationship as partners it is important that you can continue to communicate as parents. Family mediation can help to equip you with the skills that will enable you to parent together going forwards under different circumstances for the benefit of your children.
Separation is difficult and painful for all involved and all members of the family may have different worries and concerns, including – and importantly – your children. Research shows that it is HOW your separation is handled which is what matters to children, far more than the actual separation.
If your separation happened some time ago and things have become difficult, the process of mediation can also be of benefit. We can work with you if this is the situation you face to move forward in a constructive and pragmatic manner.
Mediation involving children tends to take place over 2 or more sessions. Just as separation is a process, so is mediation.
In the first session we work out an interim arrangement and discuss how to trial different forms of communication. Importantly, mediation is a safe space to discuss and test out new arrangements/ways of working together without fear of being legally bound by discussions, unless or until you agree such arrangements work and are right for both of you, and crucially your children.
In second and possibly further sessions we look at arrangements for the longer term.
Under the Child Arrangements Programme, which is the legal process for resolving issues, the law very clearly states that mediation should be considered at every stage.
Sally Clark, our principal accredited mediator, is ideally placed to ensure this happens. She sits as the family mediation representative on the private children sub-group of the family justice board in West Yorkshire. She is also actively involved in shaping mediation policy and how the Court deals with mediation prior to, and as part of, local protocols within Court proceedings.
You may also want to involve your children in the process, which is actively encouraged in appropriate cases where the child is aged 10 and over.
Where your children live
How often your children spend time with the other party
What is the most appropriate shared care arrangement
Working out arrangements for term times and holiday periods
Where should your children go to school
Should your children re-locate to a different area of the country or overseas