The family justice system involves so many different perspectives. From solicitors and barristers providing legal advice, to judges and magistrates deciding cases, to parents, children and family members at the heart of family proceedings. Local authorities, social workers, psychologists, schools, contact centres, and family mediators also contribute to the system. There are academics interested in family relationships, wellbeing, and the law that regulates family life. The World Café brings these viewpoints together to explore solutions to problems related to the operation of the law within a family setting.

Child-Inclusive Mediation

Mediation plays an increasingly prominent role in divorce proceedings but is typically limited to attempts to find solutions agreeable to the spouses. The central question is whether it is desirable and practical to allow the children greater agency in shaping the post-divorce family unit… The World Café event will bring together family law academics, family mediators, solicitors and barristers to explore evolving alternative models for family-focused divorce mediation with a more active and influential role for children.

This project was funded by the Society of Legal Scholars.