A VADR CPD Zoom event on Wednesday 27 August featured a presentation from Johanna Wood and Ash Cole on Kids Talk: Children’s Participation in Family Dispute Resolution at Victoria Legal Aid’s Family Dispute Resolution Service (FDRS).
Kids Talk, the child-inclusive program within Victoria Legal Aid’s FDRS, has facilitated child-inclusive mediation for more than 15 years. A recent shift in thinking in the family law space, from the notion of protecting children by keeping them out of discussions to including them in decision-making, has seen an increase in child participation at the FDRS.
As well as empowering children and giving them a sense of agency, we are also seeing that when decision-makers hear about children’s experiences of parental separation and parenting arrangements, there is an enhanced quality in agreements and agreements that work better for children.
Johanna and Ash shared client stories and reflections from experienced practitioners, including the Case Manager, Child Consultant and FDRP, who have worked together to support children’s participation in mediation. These stories demonstrated how children’s voices have influenced the outcomes of mediation. The examples were cases where, historically, families may have been screened out due to concerns about parental capacity or safety and risk. Johanna and Ash discussed how the benefits for a child participating in mediation have outweighed the risks, and addressed the considerations and measures put in place at each step of the mediation process that have supported children to participate.
There was no charge for VADR members participating in the event (non-members $25). It carried one CPD point.
Johanna Wood is the Managing Child Specialist at Victoria Legal Aid’s FDRS. She is a social worker, child consultant and accredited FDRP, and has worked in a variety of roles at FDRS. Throughout the almost 20-year history of the service, Johanna has been involved in the development of FDRS policy and processes that focus on the needs and experiences of children and their families.
Ash Cole is the Child Specialist at Victoria Legal Aid’s FDRS. She is a trained educator, social worker and child consultant, and has been on Victoria Legal Aid’s Child Consultant panel since 2022. She has training in family therapy and in trauma-informed care, and has spent the last 15 years working in schools, hospitals and legal settings, providing psychosocial support to young people, children and their families.
