Parents of four children decided to separate. Over time, dad wasn’t able to see his children as much as he, or the children, wanted. In this case study about how the separated dad wanted to see his children more, we de-identify and share how we helped the separated parents work through the issue.
The time dad was currently having with his children was unstructured with no set routine or formal arrangement. Seeing the child on an ad hoc basis didn’t give the parents or the children any consistency. The mum was reporting that the children were always wondering when they would see dad, and when they were on the phone with dad they were asking him when they would be seeing him next. The dad felt unhappy and initiated family dispute resolution.
Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner, Eliza, held an initial intake session to learn the background and the context, and to determine suitability of mediation. Once it was determined safe to proceed, Eliza held a pre-mediation review separately with each parent. She determined that to maintain safe mediation, the sessions would run in shuttle format, which meant she would mediate separately with them.
“[Because of the intake and pre-mediation review] I already had some idea of what each of them were hoping to achieve” shared Eliza. “In every mediation, our primary focus is the children and their best interests and well-being.
“What we wanted to achieve was a really good outcome for the children, but also for the parents as well, to allow them to plan things, to plan activities with the children and have that consistency and stability,” shared Eliza.
What was the outcome?
Listen to the podcast where Eliza shares the case study and outcome.
What can family dispute resolution (FDR) do?
Family Dispute Resolution can help separated couples:
- negotiate parenting arrangements
- consider the parental responsibilities of each parent
- navigate complex issues and have difficult conversations
- negotiate mutually acceptable outcomes
- reduce the emotional impact of separation by potentially avoiding a court process
- reduce legal costs and potentially achieve an outcome in a timelier manner
- divide property and discuss financial matters.
Making an appointment
You can access the Better Place Australia FDR service by telephone and video appointments, or face-to-face at the following sites:
- Cheltenham
- Croydon
- Oakleigh
- Narre Warren
- Traralgon
- Wyndham Vale
