Family Mediation Services

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Family mediation focuses on helping individuals discuss, explore, and resolve issues that arise from separation. This may include areas such as parenting, property settlement, spousal or partner maintenance, and child support. Mediation services can involve a joint session where both parties and/or their lawyers attend, or it can be conducted as shuttle mediation, keeping the parties in separate rooms. Additionally, mediation can take place through virtual platforms like Zoom or MS Teams, providing flexibility in the dispute resolution process.

Family Dispute Resolution, a key aspect of family mediation defined in the Family Law legislation, primarily addresses parenting matters. Engaging a trained and registered Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner is essential, as they can provide mediation services and issue a certificate needed before filing a parenting application in court. This certificate may be granted if one party declined to attend the FDR, if it was deemed inappropriate to offer FDR, or if both parties participated and made a concerted effort to resolve their parenting issues.

Sometimes parents want to hear what their children have to say, and children often wish to have a voice in the arrangements made after separation. In the context of dispute resolution, child consultants can collaborate with parents and their children. Typically, during family mediation that is child-inclusive, the counsellor attends the mediation sessions to provide feedback to the parties based on interviews with the children, ensuring that the discussion remains confidential. For more information on child-inclusive services, please visit the Counselling tab.

Parents sometimes prefer to have a formal family report prepared about the children's views and their perception of various family dynamics. This can be very useful if there is already litigation on foot.