Conversations with Young People in Family Mediation

'Lisa has been a pioneer for many years of innovative mediation practice involving young people This book provides convincing evidence of the power of young people's voices and the necessity that they be heard.'

Neil Robinson, mediator, consultant and trainer, Mental Health Tribunal Judge, Visiting Professor, Staffordshire University

'Lisa Parkinson's expertise of more than four decades as a mediator and her enormous experience and deep insights into child-inclusive mediation make Conversations with Young People in Family Mediation an invaluable and essential read for those interested in this topic.'

Christoph Paul, co-founder of International Mediation Centre for Family Conflict and Child Abduction, Berlin.

'There is a genius to Lisa's writing that blurs the edges between report and rapport ....it is peppered with lively examples and anecdotes.'

Glynne Davies, mediator and family lawyer, London

Conversations with Young People in Family Mediation highlights the importance of talking with young people and taking account of their views, because they have the right to be heard and they need to be involved in decisions affecting their lives. The book includes:

- Valuable advice from young people on how to talk with them in helpful ways
- Anonymised examples of young people's participation in mediation
- A chapter on Diversity and Inclusivity
- An overview of significant research findings
- Appendices including a draft code of practice and sample documents

It is an invaluable guide to this important topic for mediators, lawyers, judges, social workers and academics.

This title is included in Bloomsbury Professional's Family Law and Mediation online services.

List of contents

1. Hearing the Voice of the Child
2. Hearing the Voice of the Child in Family Mediation
3. Requirements for Child-inclusive Mediators and Trainers
4. Diversity and Inclusivity
5. Building a Professional Approach: Developing a 6 Stage Process
6. Engaging and Talking with Children and Young People
7. Children's Messages for their Parents
8. Shaping the Process to Fit the Child
9. Mediation with Different Kinds of Families
10. Mediation between Parents and Adolescent Children
11. Children's Experience of Parental Separation and Divorce
12. Children's Resilience and the Benefits of Talking with a Mediator
APPENDICES
A. Including Children and Young People in Mediation - A Handout for Parents and Carers
B. Draft Code of Practice for Child-inclusive Mediation
C. Parental Consent for a Meeting with a Child or Young Person - Example of Mediator's Letter to Parents
D. Sample Invitation Letter to Child or Young Person Inviting Them to Meet the Mediator
E. Example of a Letter to a Son/Daughter-in-Law Regarding Grandparents' Consent
F. Books for Children and Young People
G. Suggested Reading for Mediators
Bibliography

About the author

Lisa Parkinson has over 40 years' experience as a family mediator, trainer and professional practice consultant, having previously taken a degree in modern languages and gained qualifications and experience in mental health social work and family therapy. Lisa was one of the few mediators who, even in the early days, talked with children and young people with the consent of both parents or carers in mediation. Frustrated by the lack of action on hearing the voice of the child, Lisa convened a working group of mediation trainers who met from 2016-17. The group's recommendations on mediators' training and practice were accepted in full by the Family Mediation Council and implemented in an additional clause in the FMC Code of Practice and in new requirements for all registered mediators. The requirement to inform parents and carers at initial information meetings and in mediation of the objectives and benefits of offering children the opportunity to express their views and wishes, as well as mediators' attendance at Awareness and Understanding and Update Days resulted in the proportion of children taking part in mediation almost doubling from 2017 to 2019. Lisa has provided FMC-recognised training in this field in the UK and has also trained accredited mediators in Italy, Hong Kong and Ukraine. She currently has requests for this training from Lithuania and Portugal.

Summary

‘Lisa has been a pioneer for many years of innovative mediation practice involving young people This book provides convincing evidence of the power of young people’s voices and the necessity that they be heard.’

Neil Robinson, mediator, consultant and trainer, Mental Health Tribunal Judge, Visiting Professor, Staffordshire University

‘Lisa Parkinson’s expertise of more than four decades as a mediator and her enormous experience and deep insights into child-inclusive mediation make Conversations with Young People in Family Mediation an invaluable and essential read for those interested in this topic.’

Christoph Paul, co-founder of International Mediation Centre for Family Conflict and Child Abduction, Berlin.

‘There is a genius to Lisa’s writing that blurs the edges between report and rapport ....it is peppered with lively examples and anecdotes.’

Glynne Davies, mediator and family lawyer, London

Conversations with Young People in Family Mediation highlights the importance of talking with young people and taking account of their views, because they have the right to be heard and they need to be involved in decisions affecting their lives. The book includes:

- Valuable advice from young people on how to talk with them in helpful ways
- Anonymised examples of young people’s participation in mediation
- A chapter on Diversity and Inclusivity
- An overview of significant research findings
- Appendices including a draft code of practice and sample documents

It is an invaluable guide to this important topic for mediators, lawyers, judges, social workers and academics.

This title is included in Bloomsbury Professional's Family Law and Mediation online services.

Product details

• Authors: Lisa Parkinson
• Assisted by: Philippa Johnson (Editor)
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 21.03.2024
• EAN: 9781526529589
• ISBN: 978-1-5265-2958-9
• No. of pages: 176
• Dimensions: 156 mm x 246 mm x 16 mm
• Weight: 300 g
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Law > International law, foreign law; England, Wales, LAW / Arbitration, Negotiation, Mediation, LAW / Family Law / Children, Arbitration, mediation & alternative dispute resolution, Family law: children, Arbitration, mediation and alternative dispute resolution