Monday 27th January 2-3pm
Research shows that 10% of private family law applications relating to children involve non-parents. This session looks at the role mediation can plan in kinship care cases (where a child is cared for by non-parents), and explores how this may be different from other family mediation processes. It is presented by Family Solutions, who run a kinship care mediation project, and will cover:
- Specialist mediation for kinship care families
- Funding and development of the kinship care mediation project
- Specialist mediation for kinship care families – ‘mediation plus’
- The ‘logic’ model used
- Objectives and outcomes of kinship mediations
The aim of the session is to help you understand the rationale, delivery and desired outcomes of kinship care mediation and encourage professionals to consider whether mediation can be used to support families where children are cared for other than by their parents.
| Your speakers | |
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Claire Webb has worked in family law since 1990. In 2007 she co founded Mediation Now. In 2013 Mediation Now developed a communications program, Changing Lives, which secured funding from the DWP Innovation Fund. This aimed to help separated parents work together for the benefit of their children. It was expanded further in 2019, becoming ‘New Foundations’ and again Mediation Now was awarded funding by the DWP through the Reducing Parental Conflict Program. Claire is also a Collaborative Lawyer (Resolution trained). A specialist in Child Inclusive Mediation (CIM), Claire is also trained as Civil Mediator through ADRg and offers hybrid and co-mediation. She is a qualified Arbitrator in children and finances cases. Claire qualified as a Parenting Coordinator in 2019. She is a mentor to other mediators as their PPC and is 1-2-1 peer mentor for Resolution. Claire sat as the mediator member of the Family Justice Council until 2024 and is a member of the Local Family Justice Board. Claire also sits on the Family Mediation Council’s training panel and accreditation panel and is a member of the FMSB working group promoting mediation . Claire is working closely with four Local Authorities to pilot when and how mediation works best for kinship carers and works with Hampshire County Council to deliver their strengthening parental relationship through mediation. |
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Helen Savage has been a family lawyer since 1997 and a mediator since 2010. Helen delivers training for the FMA around domestic abuse, trauma, communication and conflict management, working with neurodivergent clients, mental health and parenting techniques. Helen co-designed and delivered the Changing Lives and New Foundations courses, funded by the Department for Work and Pensions, which helps parents minimise the impact of separation on their children. Helen is the CEO of Southampton Family Trust, a charity dedicated to supporting vulnerable families in Southampton. The Trust offers a wide range of parenting and couple support programmes including dealing with challenging behaviours and child to parent violence. |
