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How Children Can Benefit From Involvement in Divorce Mediations

Posted by: admin    Tags:      Posted date:  February 15, 2013

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The breakdown of a marriage particularly where children are involved can often be a very difficult and unsettling experience especially for the children involved. Parents often do not know and sometimes disagree on how to tell their children that they will be divorcing.

The famous children’s TV show Sesame Street highlighted this delicate issue in late 2012 and has posted online videos for their viewer which has been very beneficial for viewers.

It is not unusual for a child to ask their parents why they are no longer living together, if they are still loved and many other questions and Sesame Street posing these questions for young children could help in some way.

The Children And Family Advisory And Support Service “CAFCASS” used enabled young people to voice their concerns over parental separations on Twitter. “Someone tweeted, “I was worried, but it was ok because I went through it with my brother. It was confusing at first, but it slowly made sense.”

Mediation is a method of interacting with children by a trained professional without the presence of their parents. This method of
communicating with children has been very successful as the children are met in a neutral environment.

During direct contact with children mediation (DCC), the children first have a session with a qualified direct child consultant where the parents are not present and the children are given the time and space in a safe and confidential place to discuss what they would like, their wishes and feelings for the future to be.

The wishes and thoughts of the children are then informed to the parents in a separate meeting so that the desires of the children can then be taken into account.

A Kidspace in London aims to help children through this difficult period in their lives by using a support programme. They offer a
variety of workshops, individual support “ to help children cope, manage changes, come to terms with their situation, enhance their emotional intelligence and allow them to emerge moreresilient, self-reliant and therefore more able to cope with life’s stresses”

Meeting with the children will not resolve all of the issues but can help with communication at this very difficult time. It gives parents a chance to help to plan how and what they will tell their children.

If you are experiencing a divorce or dealing with difficult issues with children please consult our family law team who will be happy to help.