Child Inclusive Mediation
Bringing your child's voice into Family Dispute Resolution
Child Inclusive Mediation (also known as Child Consultation) is a process that supports parents in hearing their child’s “voice” either during or after a separation. It assists parents in conflict to understand separation from their child’s perspective and to make decisions that keep their child’s emotional and developmental needs at the forefront, whilst rebuilding a new parental alliance for the years ahead.
As an experienced Child Consultant and an impartial practitioner, Bianca Roche-Bolger provides children with a meaningful experience of reflecting on their changing family. Through engagement and assessment, Bianca identifies the impact of parental conflict on children, helps them explore the emotional environment between their parents, and encourages children to articulate their experience of the separation.
How does Child Inclusive Mediation work?
Research has shown that when children are safely and meaningfully included in family mediation, they have more confidence in their parents working relationship and in the framework they create.
The consultant will use a variety of techniques to engage with your child such as drawing, using cards, building family sculptures and discussing key themes that the child may raise. The process of a child consultation in mediation is not a full psychological assessment, but an assessment of how the child is experiencing their parent’s conflict and how their emotional environment is best supporting their growth and development.
At the subsequent family dispute resolution session, the child consultant will provide both parents with feedback from their session with your child. This feedback may include:
• The child’s experience of the separation and how they are coping
• How they might be experiencing parental conflict and possible strategies they may be using to manage.
• Any concerns or issues that need to be addressed.
• Whether your child has a strong wish about a particular decision you are making.
• Any questions your child may have for you.
Parents will then have the opportunity to ask the consultant questions to help clarify the feedback. Issues raised can be addressed during the session and the child consultant will support parents in reflecting on ways they can assist their child to manage any problems they may be experiencing. The child consultant does not provide a written report.
Your specialist in Child Consultation
Bianca is a specialist in Child Consultation having practiced extensively across different programs with Relationships Australia NSW and in private practice for the past 15 years. As an experienced Child Consultant and an impartial practitioner, Bianca provides children with a meaningful experience of reflecting on their changing family. Through both the processes of Family Dispute Resolution and Child Consultation, Bianca supports parents in conflict to hear their child’s “voice” and assists them in making decisions that keep their children’s emotional and developmental needs at the fore front, whilst building and maintaining a parental alliance for the years ahead.
Bianca has trained in Interdisciplinary Collaborative Practice and has provided Coaching and Child Consultation as part of the Relationships Australia NSW Collaborative Practice Team and is a sitting Board member of Collaborative Professionals NSW in 2024.
Bianca has experience as a coach for NMAS mediator accreditation with the College of Law and has co-facilitated the Graduate Diploma in Family Dispute Resolution with the Relationships Australia NSW (previously Australian Institute of Relationship Studies (AIRS).
Bianca has also completed clinical supervision training with Relationships Australia NSW and provides clinical supervision and mentoring to students and newly trained FDRP’s and Child Consultants.
At the end of 2023, Bianca was awarded her Master of Clinical Family Therapy from the Bouverie Centre, La Trobe University, and now offers therapy to families across the generations. She has also been rated by the Doyles Guide as a “Recommended Family Law Mediator” 2021-2024.
The benefits of child-inclusive mediation
Separation can be an extremely difficult and painful time, not only for the parents but especially for their children. During this challenging time children need support, love, certainty and contact with both their parents and other significant people.
Child Inclusive Mediation is a form of Family Dispute Resolution, that encourages parents to understand the impact of separation on their child and assists them in making parenting arrangements that will support their child’s growth and development.
Child Consultants are specially trained professionals who work therapeutically with children and young people, particularly in the area of separation and divorce. They have extensive experience and knowledge of the developmental and emotional needs of children and young people during separation.
Child consultation provides a meaningful experience to children whose parents are separated. It provides children with a “voice” within the process, and the opportunity to reflect on their family and the changes they have experienced. The Child Consultant will meet with your child for a private session and may talk with them about:
• Your child’s experience of your separation
• Their relationships with their parents and significant family members
• What their hopes and dreams might be for their family
• Their experience of current arrangements.
• Questions they may have for you as parents
Australian Association of Collaborative Professionals Podcast
How best to support and include your children following parental separation
Visit COLLABORATIVE CONVERSATIONS >
Everyone wants to know about the impact separation has on kids and how they can lessen that impact. Child Consultant, Bianca Roche-Bolger explains how a child inclusive approach within the Interdisciplinary Collaborative Practice framework assists families to ensure kids are heard and not forgotten during separation.
