Meeting with Children
A Child Centered Approach
Blended Training
Bridging the Gap
Children's Voices in Family Law
TRAINING PROGRAM comprising:
- 22 hours are completed in a combination of Orientation, Self-Directed Learning and One Live Online tutorial.
- The final 10 hours are completed over two half days offered IN-ROOM.
Child consultation skills for family law practitioners, family mediators, parenting coordinators and other practitioners who would like to include the voices of children in their processes
- Non-evaluative
- Meetings rather than interviews
- Two activity-based meetings with children
- Child meeting skills including six developmentally appropriate activities
- A structured approach to ordering the messages from children
In this course Lorri and Jon explore the skills necessary to meet with post separation children and youth. While delivered online, the course is highly experiential and requires you to find creative ways to practice the skills discussed and demonstrated during the program. We will be meeting with you at the Beginning, Middle and End of the course to support your learning experience.
The skills taught add to the practitioner toolbox for work with children as well as work with parents who may find it difficult to remain regulated in traditional DR processes.
For practitioners: the approach is highly structured and non evaluative.
For children/youth: the approach is unstructured, and non-directive, practice based, experiential, expressive and play based.
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. A child-centred approach views the child as central to the family system and provides strategies for working with parents to include the child’s concerns. 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.
Prerequisites: This course is designed for family law professionals, child & family therapists, child protection workers, child consultants, family mediators and parenting coordinators.
Destination Training Events
We will offer the In- Room part of the program at two destinations.
Destination: Canmore, Alberta, Canada
The bustling town of Canmore is in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. It is famous for its fabulous views, snow covered mountains, great food and wine bars and music scene. It is 15 minutes to Banff National Park and the ski fields. Come for a few days and let Lorri show you her town.
Destination: Inner City-Sydney, Australia
Sydney’s Coffee and grunge Capital. Combining fabulous cafes, and bars and live music with Sydney Harbour and Opera House, and Bondi Beach. Tag it to a holiday adventure, and let Jon help you find an itinerary that will give you an experience of Sydney you will never forget.
What if I can’t get In-Room?
We’ve got you covered. Just choose a location where the time zone works best for you and jump online to join us virtually. We have created some great ways for people online to join virtually that maximizes the opportunity for inclusion.
Course Description and Delivery Mode
The course has Three Elements:
Live On Line Tutorials : The whole group meets online for a Tutorial with Lorri Yasenik and Jon Graham. Lorri and Jon will provide a Zoom link for these meetings (2.5 hours)
Self-Paced Learning: Individuals (or small groups) complete the pre-recorded Tutorials accessed through the ICCFL Learning Portal. Tutorials are spread over Five Lessons. Each lesson has an estimated time, and explanation of content. Lessons include Webinars, Demonstration Videos, Materials for Download, Questions for Consideration, and Practice Exercises. (17.5 hours)
In-Room Practice: Lorri Yasenik and Jon Graham meet with the whole group In-Room for 1.5 days (10 hours) focused on practicing the skills of Meeting with Children. e sessions (10 hours duration).
Course Objectives
At the conclusion of this course participants will be able to:
- Identify what it means to be child centred when working with children and youth in separated families and in child protection environments
- Engage in directive and non-directive ways of meeting with children and understand metaphor and projection as ways children tell you about their lived worlds
- Identify the four levels of Parent Readiness and the pathway for child involvement appropriate to each
- Make use of the following scales in practice:
- Child Temperament Scale,
- Child and Youth Concerns and Experiences Tool,
- Child and Youth Readiness Tool and
- Parenting Readiness
- Be able to effectively provide feedback to parents and other third parties
- Understand the ethical implications of child-centred practice, the challenges of employing a child- centred strategy, and the cost of employing traditional non child-centred strategies in family
Course Details
On enrolment we will provide:
- Access to the online learning portal
- Access to the e-text and e-manual
- An outline of each lesson and an estimate of hour the hours required for each lesson
- Suggested discussion questions and practice activities for the practice-with-peers™ groups
- Access to additional resources available from us
- A recommended list of the miniatures and other resources to which you will need access in order to offer the Meeting with Children Approach to children and families of separation
Training Supplies
There are additional fees for the supply of some of the following – if you already have these materials you do not need another set. If you do not have these materials you will need to purchase them and will see them listed on the application form. We are supplying these materials at cost. (If unsure please discuss this with Lorri and Jon)
- Meeting with Children: A Child Centred Approach Manual – included with course
- Meeting with Children: A Child Centred Approach Text Book – included with course
- One Set of Bear Cards($55)
- One Set My World Cards ($55)
- laminated cardboard fold-able houses ($20)
- Emoji Cards ($10)
- Pictorials for parent feedback($20)
Postage and handling $32 (for AU, CA and US)
Learning Approach
Everyone who attends the program will receive a Certificate of Attendance stating hours attended and topics covered.
Assessments Tasks
This course is designed to meet the Alberta Family Mediation Society Child Consultant/Child Inclusive Mediator Specialization. In order to meet this requirement, participants must:
- Complete all pre-reading and any pre-course assessments
- Attend the 32 hour on-line training (self-paced learning combined with scheduled tutorials)
- After the on-line training, successfully complete the 10-hour post-course assessment tasks, including submission of a video assessment
Upon satisfactory completion of the course (including out of class assessments) participants will receive a Certificate of Competence.