Part 1 / 4
This blog is part of a four part series that looks back on the lecture Children 1st Mediation gave in the Family Mediation Council’s Family Mediation Week 2025. The lecture focus was on the importance of Child Inclusive Mediation, and the benefits it can bring to families going through separation. In this first part, we explore what children gain from Child Inclusive Mediation (CIM)
What Do Children Gain From Child Consultation In Mediation?
When parents separate or divorce, it impacts the whole family, especially the children. Child Inclusive Mediation (CIM) offers a way for your children to have a voice and be heard in the decisions that affect their lives, whilst not taking on the pressures of that decision making. But what exactly can your children gain from this process? Let’s explore some of the key benefits:
Empowerment:
Child Inclusive Family Mediation empowers your children by giving them a safe and neutral space to express their feelings, needs, and wishes with a trained mediator allowing them to feel heard and understood during a challenging time. The mediator then shares this information with the parents. This is done whilst maintaining the confidentiality offered to your children in the session, meaning they will agree what is shared back. This helps you, as parents, to make informed decisions that consider your children’s perspectives. This process and the ability to hear the voice of your children validates their feelings and helps them feel like they are active participants in shaping their own future.
Understanding: Child Inclusive Mediation helps you, as parents better understand your children’s perspectives and experiences. By hearing directly the voice of your child, you can gain valuable insights into how the separation is affecting them emotionally and psychologically. By using a trained Family Mediator, and a neutral space, children have the opportunity to voice their feelings without worrying about any divided loyalties they may feel. This improved understanding can lead to more empathetic and responsive parenting, even in the midst of separation. It can also reduce misunderstandings and conflict between you, as parents and your children.
Prioritisation: Child Inclusive Mediation (child focussed mediation) promotes decisions that help to prioritise your children’s emotional and psychological well-being. By considering your children’s needs and wishes, you can focus your arrangements on ones that minimise disruption and provide stability during a difficult transition. This focus on your children’s best interests can lead to more cooperative co-parenting and reduce the negative impact of separation on children’s lives.
Cooperation: Child Inclusive Mediation fosters a more cooperative and child-focused approach to parenting. By involving your children in the process, parents are encouraged to work together to find solutions that meet everyone’s needs, including your children’s. This can lead to reduced conflict between parents, improved communication, and a more positive co-parenting relationship. Ultimately, this cooperation creates a more stable and supportive environment for your children as they adjust to their new family dynamic.
Is Child Inclusive Mediation Right For you?
If you’re going through a separation or divorce and want to ensure your children’s voices are heard, consider Child Inclusive family Mediation. It can be a valuable tool for empowering your children, improving communication, and promoting cooperative co-parenting. It is a voluntary process for both you, as parents and your children, but can offer great value to discussions and family mediation conversations
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If you’re thinking about family mediation, Child Inclusive Mediation or just want to know more about your options, we’re here to help. Get in touch by calling us at 0330 33 22 488 or emailing info@children1stmediation.co.uk
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Keywords: Family mediation, child mediation, child inclusive mediation, child-focused mediation, CIM, Children First Mediation, FMC, Family Mediation Council, child consultation in mediation, children’s involvement in mediation, child-inclusive family mediation, child-focused mediation