Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa to everyone in the United Kingdom during Family Mediation week.
It’s an absolute pleasure to be able to write an article for the Family Mediation Council during Family Mediation Week!
Whilst my home is now Aotearoa New Zealand, more than 20 years ago I was trained by the Family Mediators Association, and indeed worked for them as a trainer and administrator, as well as sitting on the FMA board for a couple of years.
Over the past 20 years, it’s been wonderful for me to see how Family Mediation has developed further in the UK, building on the wonderful pioneering work undertaken by the likes of immensely talented and visionary practitioners, including Lisa Parkinson, Robyn ap Cynan, Henry Brown, and Angela Lake-Carroll; all committed, inspirational family mediators. The world of Family Mediation, quite rightly, continues to mourn the premature death of Robyn.
I was so fortunate to be able to be trained by the Family Mediators Association, in what I still see as the “Rolls-Royce” model training available in the UK for all issues Family Mediation.
When I made the big move to Aotearoa New Zealand in 2008, I immediately began work promoting the important practice of Family Mediation, and in 2013 legislation was finally passed by the New Zealand government, which introduced, formally, Family Dispute Resolution into the world and the work of the Family Court.
Seven years on from there, we now have a maturing model of Family Mediation, which ensures that children are always at the centre of Family Mediation processes.
In most cases parties, have to at least attempt out of court dispute resolution, before they are able to file applications in the Family Court for parenting and guardianship orders.
The NZ Government funded model provides 12 hours of professional support for parties engaging in the process, which can be used for individual coaching (also know as Preparation for Mediation), meeting with children, and of course sessional Family Mediation meetings. If parties’ qualify for legal aid, they are not required to make any financial contribution, and if parties are not eligible for legal aid, they have to contribute about GBP250 which ‘buys’ 12 hours of professional support.
You’ll understand why in this jurisdiction, we are keen to promote and support parties to engage in the process of Family Mediation.
So as a model of family mediation, what’s different and what’s new here in Aotearoa New Zealand?
Well, the good news is we are putting increasing importance in ensuring children’s voices are accurately heard in the Family Mediation process, whether through the appointment of an independent Child Consultant to meet with the children outside of the grown-ups’ meetings, to ensure their thoughts, feelings, wants, and needs are accurately feedback to the parents.
Sometimes, children are supported by the Child Consultant, in an age-appropriate way, to be part of some of the meetings with the parents.
Our professional practice continues to evolve, based on the best international practice and research data.
The other thing that’s new here in Aotearoa, is the exciting and increasing use of parenting programs, like OurFamilyWizard, to support separating and separated co-parents and guardians as they journey through the Family Mediation process.
It would be a pleasure for me to speak with any of you in more detail via the wonderful world of Zoom, or connect via email, or to meet you in person later this year when I hope to travel to the UK, to share more of the success stories we are having here in this wonderful country at the bottom of the world, aka Middle Earth!
My contact details are here, and so this is Timothy McMichael signing off, Kia Ora!
Timothy McMichael. temcmichael@gmail.com www.timothy.works
