with Jill Goldman

Conflicted separation is particularly harmful for children, as well as the mental health of the family, and the community. At its most extreme, severe parent-child contact problems occur. This is termed parental alienation, resist-refuse, or child/parent contact problems. Long term psychological problems for children and young people are generated by this breakdown in the child/parent relationship.

The Family Court (Supporting Children in Court) Legislation Act of 2021 in Aotearoa New Zealand concluded that children participation in decisions about them was insufficient.

The duty of FDR providers is now to ensure that the children who are the subject of the dispute are given any reasonable opportunities to participate in decisions affecting them that the FDR provider considers appropriate.

This changes the landscape somewhat from the nice-to-have of child inclusion to a duty - rendering a somewhat more urgent training for mediators in a professional understanding of what child inclusion is

The brief intervention described in this webinar is timely and effective and can offset serious emotional damage to parents and children alike.

A sample of strategies, case studies as well as research findings, are described in this webinar, with a focus on the healthy navigation of family restructure.

This research informed practice of child inclusion in mediation uses a blend of family systems, mediation skills, a linking of attachment theory and child development, and the parameters of family law. The approach has been highly evaluated.