CHILDREN’S VOICES
Mediation
At SFMS we make available to all parents of children over 6
years old, the option of their child, or children having their
own private meeting with their mediator.
This meeting is not a ‘counselling’ session. We
call it ‘Child Consultation’. At the end of this meeting
the children decide what information they wish to be fed back
to their parents.
Parents will then be in a better position to consider their children’s
wishes and feelings.
All the research suggests that whilst children do not wish to
make the decisions, they do wish to have a say. This, of itself,
helps positive outcomes.
The majority of our mediators have prior experience of working
within Child Welfare backgrounds and, as such, we are better equipped
than most to undertake Child Consultation sessions sensitively
and effectively.If you wish your children to have a say, you should
undoubtedly choose SFM as your mediation service of choice.
Family Focus
Our ‘alongside’ family counselling service also
wishes to include children in sessions, where both parents wish
this and it is regarded as appropriate by all.
We can see children on their own, with siblings and with parents
or other family members.
Practitioners who see children in Family Focus are all experienced
family counsellors or therapists.
Consent
Where two parents are involved in their children’s lives,
we will only see children if both parents agree to this. The children
would also need to agree. This applies to both Mediation and Family
Focus.
Before children can be seen, it will be necessary to have a
planning meeting with parents.