Parenting Plans-are they worth the paper they are written on?
In my discussions with professionals working with family disputes, many are reluctant to refer their clients to mediation on the basis of their experience that the agreements reached are not worth the paper they are written on. This demonstrates a lack of understanding of the nature and advantages of parenting plans, and the options available…
Bridging the gap in parenting understandings
I am often involved in assisting parents to work out an acceptable structure around the parenting arrangements, to enable them both to support the child moving from one household to the other, and to promote meaningful time for the child with both parents. Some parents have concerns about the safety and wellbeing of the…
Evidence in Family Law Proceedings
Join me at the Law Institute of Victoria on Monday 14 November to explore the next instalment in their ‘Essentials In Family Law’ Series. On this occasion we will investigate “Evidence in Family Law Proceedings”. There are specific rules of evidence that apply to family law proceedings, but many lawyers new to this area have…
Family Law Conference
This year the 17th National Family Law Conference 2016 will be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from 18 – 21 October 2016. With over 1000 delegates and what promises to be an engaging and thought provoking program, this will be an opportunity that family lawyers interested in networking and hearing of developments and trends in…
Protecting Your Wealth in Later Life-Networking Seminar
Today we are often approached by clients seeking assistance in the context of breakdown and blending of families. If you would like to explore some of the issues arising from these situations, including how to assist clients to protect their assets in later life, then this seminar is for you! Join me and other leading…
New insights into the Narrative Model of Conflict Coaching
I recently attended a workshop with Professor Nadja Alexander who presented the REAL approach to conflict coaching. This provided new and exciting insights into the understanding of, and dealing with conflict. I was inspired by her holistic approach, assisting clients not only to understand and deal with a particular conflict, but to develop conflict management…
The National Mediation Conference 2016-innovation for a new road map.
In mid September more than 500 participants met at the Gold Coast. Over the five days of the conference, we were presented with many innovative ideas around philosophy, methodology and practice. There was one overriding theme- it was suggested that we take these ideas on board and use them to compare maps, and look at…
The Second Independent Children’s Lawyers Conference
A wonderful opportunity to join with other ICLs to discuss recent developments , and hear from leading professionals who can add to the tools we have available to assist with the demands of our role. Hear Dr George Klein from the Department of Psychiatry, University of Queensland, Centre for Addiction medicine, discuss “Drug use and…
Child Focus and the Narrative Model of Dispute Resolution
This approach to mediation evolved from the narrative family therapy model developed in the mid 1980s. [1] It is based on the understanding that the way we interpret the world around us depends on our social and cultural background and experiences. In other words, the meaning we attribute to events, our reactions and point of…
Obligations of the FDRP at intake
The Family Law Act defines Family Dispute Resolution (FDR) as: a process, other than a judicial process, in which a Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner (FDRP) helps people affected or likely to be affected by separation or divorce to resolve some of all of their disputes with each other. [1] It is envisaged in this process…