Association of Family and Conciliation Courts Guidelines for Child Protection Mediation

• Author: Karen Largent,Marilou Giovannucci
• Published date: 01 April 2013
• Date: 01 April 2013
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/fcre.12019

SPECIAL FEATURE

ASSOCIATION OF FAMILY AND CONCILIATION COURTS

GUIDELINES FOR CHILD PROTECTION MEDIATION

With an Introduction by Marilou Giovannucci and Karen Largent

Workgroup Co-Chairs

The Child Protection Mediation Guidelines Workgroup came together under the auspices of the Child Welfare Collaborative

Decision Making Network to examine program development and the practice of Child Protection Mediation (CPM). The

Workgroup convened and began its work in 2010.The resultant “Guidelines for Child Protection Mediation” was approved by

the AFCC Board of Directors in 2012.

Key Points for the Family Court Community:

•Child Protection Mediation provides an opportunity for families and professionals involved in child abuse and neglect

matters to resolve disputes in a safe, inclusive and thoughtful manner.

•The Guidelines for Child Protection Mediation establish core principles and strategies for establishing and maintaining

high quality child protection mediation programs and practices.

•The Guidelines for Child Protection Mediation can serve as a road map for programs and practitioners to follow in their

day-to-day work with families and their children who are involved with the child welfare system.

Keywords: AFCC Guidelines for Child Protection Mediation,Child Protection Mediation,Child Welfare,Families and

Children, and Mediators.

Child protection agencies and courts who handle cases of child abuse and neglect often struggle

with decision making about how to address the complex, emotion laden issues presented by families

and children. Families engaged in the child protection system present with a myriad of problems and

concerns. Primary among them is ensuring child safety while preserving or repairing important family

relationships. Oftentimes, the “child protection system” itself and its associated processes, including

child welfare agencies and court proceedings, contribute to the lack of attentiveness to the needs of

families; understanding the important role families and others play in helping to ameliorate problems;

and the need for timely resolution of issues in the critical decisions they make on behalf of children.

Some 30 years ago, a number of jurisdictions began experimenting with the use of mediation in

child protection cases. Early practitioners borrowed from what was known about family (custody and

visitation) mediation to develop processes using multi-party mediation to resolve child protection

cases that came before dependency/child protection courts. In the ensuing years, the practice of Child

Protection Mediation (CPM) spread throughout North America.

What was lacking was a comprehensive way to capture the body of knowledge that was assimilated

by the many innovators who developed and implemented CPM programs and trained and supervised

mediators conducting these mediations. Also, as practice emerged and grew in various jurisdictions,

program managers and practitioners became increasingly concerned about maintaining the integrity

of the CPM process and preserving and growing the field of CPM practice for the future.

Correspondence: mklargent@gmail.com

FAMILY COURT REVIEW,Vol. 51 No. 2, April 2013 193–194

© 2013 Association of Familyand Conciliation Cour ts