Mediation is a process of getting to agreement. This might be because you are struggling to find an agreement with the other parent from whom you are separated, or indeed because you are having difficulties in your partnership or with family, work or friends.
The good news is that professional mediations result in at least 85% of agreements according to international studies in UK and USA.
Family Mediation for Separated Parents
Jill Goldson is an expert practitioner, published researcher and trainer in the field of family mediation. She has successfully run many hundreds of family mediations and has been awarded for her work. She has a specialist interest in how, in some cases, child participation can substantially enhance outcomes of agreement for all members of the family. Her mediations are short and focused and based on leading edge methodology and a professional understanding of family dynamics and needs at separation.
Jill has written the only NZ research study on child inclusive practice. Published in 2006, it is called “Hello, I’m a voice, let me talk. Child inclusion in family mediation”. This study looked at 17 families of separated parents and the impact of hearing children in mediation. It has been the subject of many seminars, conference papers and teaching and has attracted favourable comment. Her work has been cited by other researchers and referred to by senior legal, policy, medical and counselling professionals both here and overseas.
Jill offers mediation both within the court process and in the private sector. Her mediations are not confined to families with children and also cover a range of interpersonal disagreements from family to workplace to community.
I’ve been wanting to get in touch and say thank you, I was quite gobsmacked at how the mediation went, your skills are . . . (can’t find the words immense / amazing / spot-on). Anyway, really really pleased at how it went.Susie asked how it went and replied ‘good’ – that’s all that’s been said and the relief was on her face. She is happier going to her dad’s now. So big, big thank you from us!Patricia
Stevie was buzzing after your session yesterday…
Great to see considering how anti he was about the whole process.
He is keen to carry on with you.Thank you for what you have managed to do with him so far –
he was so excited about things he called his Granny (my mother) in the car!Mary
Family Court and Legal Processes
Since 2014, the NZ Family Court has gone through reforms to the Care of Children Act (COCA). This means that any parent who is in dispute with the other parent about child care arrangements can no longer make an application to have their dispute heard court without first going to mediation, known as Family Dispute Resolution (FDR). If mediation does not result in agreement parents can then file in court.
This does not apply for any situation involving risk such as violence, abuse, mental health issues – these cases can proceed to court urgently.
The process for going to mediation can be found here. Jill Goldson is an FDR accredited mediator and works in both the legally aided and the private capacity with overwhelmingly positive results in terms of stable agreements.
