Bayside Mediation: A Child-Focused Practice
Encouraging Families to Work Together and Heal During Separation
At Bayside Mediation we understand that going through a separation or divorce is often difficult, particularly if there are children involved. Because of this, our practice is committed to offering child-focused mediation services that put your children’s interests first. To help assist families during this challenging transition, we will discuss our Child Inclusive Process (CIP), parenting plans, parenting arrangements, and the parenting plan checklist in this blog article.
Child Inclusive Process (CIP)
The Child Inclusive Process (CIP): Empowering Youth Voices
Our child-inclusive process is developed to ensure children have a voice and that their needs and viewpoints are taken into consideration. Through CIP, children from four years old can meet with a trained Child Consultant who will use age-appropriate conversations and play to help understand how the separation may be impacting them. Additionally, the child consultant meets with the parents, sharing with them the child’s experiences and feelings. For our child-inclusive process, Bayside Mediation exclusively uses licensed therapists and psychologists to ensure the most appropriate support.
With our child-inclusive approach at Bayside Mediation, we place a high priority on the welfare of children. Our process gives children a voice but does not engage them in adult conversations or ask them to make an adult decision. (Such as who do you want to live with), providing parents with the opportunity to hear from their children in a safe managed environment. A qualified child consultant interacts with the children during this process to understand how their parent’s separation is impacting them. Additionally, the child consultant meets with the parents to share the child’s view, experiences and emotions. Our child-inclusive mediations are exclusively run by licensed therapists and psychologists to offer the highest level of support and care. Our priority is the emotional health of your kid, and we are dedicated to make this process as sensitive and child focused as we can.
Parenting Plans
Creating Successful Parenting Plans: Promoting Collaborative Parenting
Co-parenting after a separation may include a parenting plan. A parenting plan is a negotiated agreement between parents that provides strategies, schedules, and boundaries for both parents to refer to, with regard to the care and rearing of their children. At Bayside Mediation, we help parents create parenting plans that are practical and meet each family’s unique needs. Our mediators assist parents in making key decisions regarding things like living arrangements, shared parental responsibilities, special occasions, kids’ activities, schooling, providing for the kids, and more. We encourage including a review date because children grow and circumstances change. Each parenting plan is unique and individually negotiated to incorporate the needs and circumstances of the family.
Our Parenting Plans are individualised because we recognise the value of successful co-parenting following separation. Our mediators collaborate closely with parents to develop practical, personalised agreements that are tailored to the particular family’s requirements. With the children’s best interests in mind, we assist in navigating difficult decisions such as how will Christmas be shared, how do you introduce new partners, how to maintain relationships with grandparents and extended family. A parenting plan negotiated for preschool children will not be suitable for older children and teenagers, so we encourage parents to plan to review.
Parenting Arrangements
Navigating Parenting Arrangements: Placing the Welfare of the Children First
Parenting plans incorporate the specifics of how children will spend time with each parent and how decisions about their upbringing will be made. Our mediators support open communication and respectful consideration of each parent’s needs, to assist parents in navigating these arrangements. We help set up organised, adaptable arrangements that put the child’s best interests first. Equal time with both parents, considerable or significant time, accommodation, pick-ups and drop-offs, grandparent-child contact, school holidays, Christmas, in fact, any issue that is considered necessary by either parent, can be negotiated. Our aim is to foster a supportive post-separation atmosphere that reflects the mental health needs of all parties involved.
Parenting strategies are created specifically to meet the demands of each family, guaranteeing that the welfare of the children always comes first. To successfully negotiate these agreements, our mediators place a high value on clear communication and respectful consideration for one another. In our managed safe space, key issues, such as shared parenting time and grandparent-grandchild contact, are discussed and agreed, creating a post-separation environment that supports the mental health needs of all parties.
Parenting Plan Checklist
Complete and Child-Centred Agreements
It’s crucial to take into account a number of variables that will affect your children’s well-being while creating a parenting plan. A thorough list of factors to take into account is provided in the checklist below:
- Child’s Best Interests
- Equal Shared Parental Responsibility
- Living/Care Arrangements
- Special Days
- Other Family Members
- Children’s Activities
- Education
- Resourcing the Children
- School Holidays
- New Partners
- Christmas and other holidays
- Travel – OS and Domestic
- Child Care/After School Care
- Child Support/Over and Above Expenses
- Other Contact
Keep in mind that not every item on the checklist might apply to your particular situation. It’s crucial to adjust the parenting plan to your family’s specific requirements and to always keep the other parent in the loop. (we can help with that as well)
At Bayside Mediation we are committed to helping families through the difficult period of separation. Children’s views are heard, and their well-being is prioritised throughout the mediation process in accordance with our child-focused practice. We recognise that every family has a unique circumstance, and we are here to offer you the support and advice you require to provide your children with a happy and caring environment.
Please visit our website or get in touch with us directly if you need further details or to arrange a consultation. With a child-focused approach, our team of skilled mediators are prepared to help you navigate even the most difficult of separations.
As you navigate the separation process, we hope that you will find this blog article to be educational and useful. Keep in mind that Bayside Mediation is here to support you and your family at every turn.
Note: This blog article is not intended to be legal advice; it is purely for information purposes. Contact us if you feel you need more specific information.
