A new approach to bringing the voice of children to parents

  • Identification of the four levels of parent readiness
  • Application of feedback approaches to each of the FOUR levels of parent readiness
  • Consideration of child and youth readiness in providing feedback to parents
  • HOW TO of an approach to parent feedback

 

Meeting with Parents
Skills for Family Law Professionals

meeting with parents

In this 14- hour Online Course, Lorri Yasenik PhD and Jon Graham LLB explore the skills necessary to bring the voice of children to parents. A blended approach is taken which includes a self-paced learning component comprising of webinars and readings and two live tutorials to assist students to integrate skills through the “practice with peers” approach.

Starting from a position that all children over 5 years should be given the opportunity to participate in ADR processes that affect them, Lorri and Jon consider the question of how the messages from children can be brought back to parents in a way that is not only safe, but is also is authentic to the child.

Jon and Lorri’s research identified four levels of parent readiness to hear the voice of their children.  This program explores the strategies that can be applied from Level 1 parents where feedback is limited, to Level 4 parents where the ADR practitioner facilitates a meeting of parents and children.

 

Authentic Engagement With Children

The question is not WHETHER children should be heard, but rather HOW TO ensure children’s voices are safely and effectively heard as part of an ADR process. The challenge that practitioners face is how and when to include children AND how to increase the readiness of the parents to hear their children’s concerns.

Lundy 2007 identifies the importance of the child voice. She then identifies the significance of giving the child voice “due weight”. This program focuses on how due weight can be given to the child voice within the family law environment.

Course Content

  • The four levels of parent readiness and the concept of child and youth readiness
  • The nine domains of child and youth concerns (using the CYCS)
  • Level 1 parents
    ◊ Presentation ◊ Strategies for feedback ◊ Strategies for increasing readiness
  • Level 2 parents
    ◊ Presentation ◊ Strategies for feedback ◊ Strategies for increasing readiness
  • Level 3 parents
    ◊ Presentation ◊ Strategies for feedback ◊ Strategies for maintaining and increasing readiness
  • Level 4 parents
    ◊ Presentation ◊ Strategies for feedback ◊ Strategies for maintaining readiness
  • Application of the child and youth readiness scale to case presentations
  • Understand the ethical implications of child-centred practice

Who Should Attend?

Prerequisites: This course is designed for people who have already completed the Meeting with Children program or similar child inclusive training (or intending to attend child inclusive training).

◊ Child Specialists ◊ Family Dispute Resolution Practitioners ◊ Parenting Coordinators ◊ Family Mediators ◊ Child and Family Counsellors ◊ Family Lawyers ◊ Independent Children’s Lawyers

Program Details

Duration:  14-hour Online COURSE (14 hours is divided into self-paced learning and scheduled tutorials with the instructors). At the end of the 14 hours, participants will receive a Certificate of Attendance.

Course Locations: 

  1. Training is offered at two time zone “locations”:
    1. Eastern Standard Time in Australia AND
    2. Mountain Standard Time for North America
    3. Other Time Zones as Requested
  • Please check the training calendar for Tutorial dates
  • The course can be delivered elsewhere by invitation

Course Fee:  $875.00 (CAD/AUD plus GST)

Course Fee Includes:

  • All tuition
  • Meeting with Parents Manual
  • Online Tools and Resources
  • Wheel of Child Development access
  • Issue of Certificate