Family Mediation
A child-focused approach to separation and co-parenting conversations.
Children’s everyday lives come first.
A structured space to discuss parenting, communication and the routines that connect home and school.
The goal is a workable understanding of what happens next. Parents make the decisions; the mediator helps keep the conversation focused.
Parenting arrangements
Work through everyday schedules, holidays, handovers and changes to routines. Consider your child’s age, needs and relationships, rather than treating a calendar as the whole solution.
Parent communication
Agree on a practical way to exchange information, respond to urgent concerns and handle disagreements. Keep adult conflict out of messages carried by children.
Home and school
Consider homework, transportation, school events, learning supports and how information reaches each household. Existing orders and consent requirements remain relevant.
Practical next steps
Record areas of understanding, unresolved questions and a review point. Identify issues that need independent legal advice before anyone relies on proposed arrangements.
From conversation
to next steps.
We help participants develop practical parenting proposals and record areas of understanding within the agreed scope. A useful record identifies responsibilities, unresolved questions and a time to review the arrangements.
We do not prepare final separation agreements or binding parenting agreements. Each participant should obtain independent legal advice before signing or relying on proposed terms. Existing orders are not changed by a mediation conversation.
Further reading: Justice Canada: Parenting Plan Checklist · Ontario: Family mediation
A few important
questions.
Is mediation the right process?
Separate conversations assess safety, family violence, coercive control, power imbalances and whether each person can participate freely. Mediation may need to be adapted, paused or declined. It is not suitable for every family.
Identify relevant court orders and active proceedings before any joint session. Do not contact another participant in a way that would breach an order or create a safety risk.
What is mediation?
Mediation is a voluntary process in which an impartial professional helps participants identify issues, explore options and make their own decisions. The mediator manages the conversation but does not decide the outcome or act as a participant’s lawyer.
Is mediation confidential?
The agreement to mediate explains what is confidential and the exceptions before sessions begin. These can include applicable reporting duties, safety concerns and disclosures required or permitted by law. Confidentiality is not a promise of absolute secrecy. Participants must agree in advance about any recording or third-party attendance.
Are mediation summaries legally binding?
Our summaries record proposed understandings for review. They are not offered as final separation agreements or court orders. A document’s title alone does not determine its legal effect. Obtain independent legal advice before signing or relying on proposed terms.
Will my child attend?
Do not bring a child into an adult dispute or ask them to choose sides. Any direct participation requires a considered plan, appropriate consent and a suitable professional approach. We discuss whether and how the child’s views can be understood without placing responsibility for the outcome on them.