Good Divorce Week

This week, the 26th – 30th November, is Good Divorce Week.  Set up by Resolution, who is committed to the constructive resolution of family disputes,  Good Divorce Week has been established to promote the settling of divorces in a less confrontational and constructive manner, in order to make it easier on children caught up in the process.

For many, the idea of a ‘good divorce’ seems ludicrous, however there are ways to make divorce and separation easier particularly when it involves children who are likely your main concern. Mediation and particularly child inclusive mediation is beneficial to the welfare of families in divorce since it allows all the voices of those involved to be heard.

What is child inclusive mediation?

Child inclusive mediation allows the legal process itself to feed back to young people who are involved in the case at hand which we have found to reassure children through a sense of inclusion in their future family situation. Not only is child inclusive mediation beneficial for the child, it also provides parents with some emotional space to discuss their views with a mediator who can ensure both parents views are heard.

How does the process work?

The child inclusive mediation process itself can take place once the mediator has confirmed that the child is mature enough to handle the responsibility of mediation, after this both parents must sign a consent form. Once the form has been accepted by the mediator, they will send an email to the child introducing themselves and can then meet with the child alone, with siblings or with their parents. This is a short, informal meeting where the child has a chat about their point of view with the mediator. There is never any pressure on the child to continue the session and it can be stopped at any point.

What happens after the mediation session?

After the session the mediator will meet with the parents to give them feedback and find out their thoughts on the outcomes. If the parents can’t agree on the outcome then there is the option to go to court, however this is rarely necessary.

We hope you have a productive Good Divorce Week and have learned a lot from our years of experience in divorce and separation. If you would like any help in having a less disruptive divorce for your children’s sake or your own, please do not hesitate to contact us.