Child Inclusive Mediation
Research shows that children and young people benefit in many ways when their voices are heard as their parents are making decisions about them in mediation.
Sensitively using a clear and recognised process, a mediator with specialist training can listen to children and young people as they talk about how they're feeling and what they think. Children and young people are never asked by the mediator to make decisions or to choose between the views or proposals of their parents.
If their parents agree that it may be helpful, when the mediator contacts the child or young person, they can choose to talk with the mediator individually or together with their siblings, or not to talk with the mediator at all. Their conversation with the mediator is confidential (unless there's an issue about their safety) and the child or young person decides what the mediator passes back to their parents.
Including children and young people in this way in their parents' mediation can be very positive: they often want to tell their parents about what's going well, and saying how they're feeling or passing on suggestions they have for how their parents could do things differently, can be very helpful for parents.
Simon has completed the specialist training approved by the Family Mediation Council to consult with children and young people in this way. He is very happy to discuss the process with parents to see if this could be useful, for parents and for their children.