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Child-inclusive dispute resolution: time for change (£)
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Janet Walker OBE Emeritus Professor of Family Policy Institute of Health and Society Newcastle University
Angela Lake-Carroll Independent Consultant Mediator and TrainerIn July 2014 the Minister for Justice and Civil Liberties made a commitment to give children and young people a greater voice in family proceedings in England and Wales. He appointed the
Voice of the Child Dispute Advisory Group to consider the steps necessary to implement this commitment in out of court dispute resolution processes including mediation. In March 2015 the Advisory Group put forward a package of 34 recommendations to support the development of child-inclusive practice. These include a non-legal presumption that all children aged ten and over should always be offered the chance to talk to the professionals involved in helping their parents reach agreement.
Child-inclusive practice requires radical culture change amongst dispute resolution practitioners new practice standards and high-level competencies. Simply tweaking existing practice or...
Read the full article here.
