Child Inclusive Mediation Sydney
At Kannen Mediation, we recognise that children are often the most affected by separation and family conflict – yet they can feel the least heard. To ensure children’s needs remain central to decision-making, we recommend parents consider engaging a Child Consultant services as part of the mediation process.
Child Inclusive Mediation: Best Practice
Child inclusive mediation is widely regarded as best practice in family dispute resolution. It involves a trained child consultant meeting with the children separately, in a safe and child-friendly environment, to better understand their experience of separation.
This process is not about asking children to choose between parents or placing adult responsibility on them. Instead, it provides children with a respectful, age-appropriate opportunity to express how they are feeling and what they need to feel safe, secure, and supported.
What Is a Child Consultation?
A child consultation is usually a gentle, conversational assessment conducted in a private setting designed to help children feel comfortable. The consultant adapts their approach to suit the child’s age and stage of development. Younger children may draw, tell stories, or engage in play-based conversation, while older children may prefer open discussion.
The focus is on understanding:
- How the child is coping with separation
- Any concerns or worries they may have
- What helps them feel secure
- What they need from their parents moving forward
Child consultants are not providing therapy or counselling but rather listening to the child’s perspective and gaining insight into their lived experience.
Feeding Back to Parents
Following the consultation, the child consultant meets with the parents and mediator to provide professional feedback. This feedback does not repeat everything the child said but instead highlights key themes relevant to the child’s emotional wellbeing and safety. This process often helps parents gain a deeper understanding of how their communication, behaviour, and decisions affect their children, supporting more child-centred and durable parenting agreements.
How We Can Help
Kannen Mediation can help you to assess whether a child consultant would be suitable for your matter. If it is deemed suitable, we can also help you to find the right child consultant for you.
If you would like to explore whether child inclusive mediation is appropriate for your situation, please contact Kannen Mediation to discuss how we can help support children and families through separation with care, professionalism, and compassion.
