Parenting information

The centre believes that public education with respect to:

• rights and responsibilities within relationships, rights;
• responsibilities and other issues of relationship breakdown;
• means of managing and controlling personal emotion;
• and constructive parenting planning

is essential to the proper functioning of a less adversarial court process.

In order to support good parenting planning, separated parents:

• require specific information, education and support;
• must understand the impact of family breakdown on themselves;
• must understand the impact on their children of the various aspects of their own adjustment process;
• must separate adult problems and issues from issues relating to children;
• must re-establish co-operation and trust in details of a co-parenting program;
• must understand present and future developmental stages of their children;
• must understand normal and predictable responses of children to situations arising upon separation;
• must be assisted in a process of positive communication involving all family members;
• must have information with respect to community resources available to assist parents and children in the separating and restructuring process.

The Family Mediation Centre offers ongoing workshops to deal with these issues.