Co-parenting children after a separation has occurred can be stressful in itself, but things can be exacerbated when adding the stresses associated with the Novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The guideline below sets out considerations for navigating through this evolving healthcare crisis:

1. Stay Healthy
Lead your children by example to minimise the risk of spreading COVID-19, by adhering to responsible social distancing and good hygiene guidelines, including:

• coughing and sneezing inside the bend of your elbow or onto a tissue;
• promptly disposing tissues;
• frequently washing your hands with soap and water, including before and after eating, as well as after using the toilet;
• using alcohol-based hand sanitisers;
• frequently cleaning and disinfecting surfaces;
• if you are feeling unwell, avoiding contact with others and staying more than 1.5 metres away from others;
• frequently cleaning and sanitising objects such as mobiles, keys and wallets.

Through observational learning, children can make this part of their routine. Inform the other parent that you (and all others in the household) are adhering to these guidelines, as this will assure them and create good will between you.

2. Be Attentive
The evolving COVID-19 pandemic is a serious healthcare crisis. Children will have heard much through their schools, friends and family, and in media. Since children are not typically able to accurately process information relating to COVID-19, it is important for parents to be attentive of how they communicate with their children in a way that gives them peace of mind.

3. Be Compliant with Your Obligations under Court Orders or Custody Agreements
If your co-parenting of children is mandated by Court Orders, a Parenting Plan, or a Parenting Agreement, you must nevertheless remain compliant, unless there is a reasonable excuse. If care arrangements cannot be complied with – such as because of quarantine, travel restrictions or school closures – common sense solutions will often solve such challenges. If you envisage a change to care arrangements, provide the other parent with as much notice as possible, along with an explanation, so they can adapt to any changes.

4. Be Flexible
If there are school closures and changeover of care normally occur at school or from extra-curricular activities which are no longer continuing, you may need to suggest to the other parent an alternative neutral or public location which will allow social distancing to be maintained.

If you are required to work remotely from home and if it is not practical to have children in your care, or if care arrangements with you or the other parent or important people cannot occur, be creative in thinking of alternative ways in maintaining the connection, such as FaceTime.

5. Be Transparent
Open and honest communication between parents is essential, and this is more so the case with the evolving COVID-19 pandemic. If a child is showing any signs or symptoms of infection, you should immediately share such information with the other parent and try to agree on what steps to take next, such as any self-isolation plan.

6. Be Empathetic
Consider how you would wish the other parent to engage with you about any changes resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, and engage with them in that same way. Reach compromises with the other parent where possible and in the children’s best interests, and this may encourage similar compromises in return. If care arrangements need to be suspended for a particular time, suggest make-up time at some point in the near future.

7. Be Understanding
As the COVID-19 pandemic is evolving, people have responded in different ways, causing varying levels of stress. Being calm and compassionate with the other parent, especially if they are experiencing high stress, will more likely reduce any conflict.

8. Be Compassionate
People may lose their jobs or experience a reduction in their income, which may have an impact on what can be paid as child support or what contributions can be made to other expenses. Being understanding of the other parent’s situation is crucial, as financial worry will likely exist in both households. The COVID-19 pandemic is an opportunity for both parents to work together towards what is best for their children.

For children, it is essential for them to know that their parents worked together in keeping them safe during this COVID-19 crisis, as it is likely to be an enduring memory for them.

For further information, please refer to the following resources:

• https://www.health.gov.au/news/health-alerts/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-health-alert
• https://www.qld.gov.au/health/conditions/health-alerts/coronavirus-covid-19
• https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-frequently-asked-questions
• https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/2020/03/coronavirus-covid-19-isolation-guidance_3.pdf
• COVID-19 Hotline (Australia): 1800 020 080

We are incredibly proud to announce that one of our family dispute resolution practitioners, Franc, attended Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts for Advanced Mediation: Mediating Complex Disputes (June 2018) as part of the Program on Negotiation Executive Education.

During this time, Franc was fortunate to meet with and gain insights from luminaries of the Mediation world, including David Hoffman, Lawrence Susskind, Susan Podziba, Samuel Dinnar, and Audrey Lee.

Franc has since returned from this enriching experience with new perspectives on resolving disputes in the Family Law landscape.
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We are proud to announce that Family Mediation Brisbane was a sponsor of the Queensland Law Society & Family Law Practitioners Association Family Law Residential 2017, which was held at Sheraton Grand Mirage on the Gold Coast. The symposium (13-16 July) was attended by judges, barristers, solicitors, legal practitioners and mediators practising in Family Law.

We are proud to have supported this conference.

We are excited to announce that Family Mediation Brisbane will again be sponsoring the Queensland Law Society Family Law Residential 2017, which will be held at Sheraton Grand Mirage on the Gold Coast. The symposium (13-16 July) will be attended by judges, barristers, solicitors, legal practitioners and mediators practising in Family Law.

We are excited to announce that Family Mediation Brisbane was a sponsor of the Queensland Law Society Family Law Residential 2016, which was held at Sheraton Grand Mirage on the Gold Coast. The symposium (21-24 July) was attended by barristers, solicitors, legal practitioners and mediators practising in Family Law.

We are proud to have supported this conference.

Family law mediation is a process that can be used to reach agreements relating to parents' property and financial matters, including how to divide the assets and liabilities, as well as how to provide financial support to children.

These property and financial matters can be discussed during family law mediation, during which any agreements that are reached are then reduced to writing and provided to the parents.

In order to be legally enforceable, parents must seek independent legal advice from a solicitor, who then certifies that they have provided such advice. This certification forms part of any application to the Family Court, in which the parents thereafter enter into a Binding Financial Agreement, as defined in the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth) and ratified by the Family Court.

Family mediation seeks to arrive at agreements between parents in relation to their children. There are three different types of agreements:

PARENTING AGREEMENT:

• Concerning children's care arrangements, decision-making processes and other specific issues
• Neither signed nor dated by each parent
• Not legally enforceable

PARENTING PLAN:

• Concerning children's care arrangements, decision-making processes and other specific issues
• Signed and dated by each parent
• Not legally enforceable, although somewhat influential to a Family Court judge who is later making Parenting Orders

CONSENT ORDERS:

• Concerning children's care arrangements, decision-making processes and other specific issues
• Must be in a specific format as part of an application to the Family Court
• Stamped by the Family Court and therefore enforceable

Franc's family mediation experience:

• He has conducted more than 500 family dispute mediations in parenting matters, children's care arrangements, property settlements and relocation matters, with parents located in Queensland, interstate and overseas
• He has conducted child-inclusive mediations, where a child psychologist provides feedback during the mediation to the parents, after having spent time with the children to determine how they are coping with the separation and current parenting arrangements

Franc's family mediation certifications and qualifications:

• He is registered as a Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner with the Department of the Federal Attorney-General, pursuant to the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth)

• He is a Nationally Accredited Mediator
• He has a Master of Laws (Dispute Resolution), with a specialisation in mediation, from The University of Queensland

Franc's flexibility in the process of family mediation:

• He provides face-to-face mediation, lawyer-assisted mediation, shuttle mediation where the parents are in two different rooms, and online mediation via Skype over the internet on a secure platform, especially useful for interstate and international parties
• He conducts mediations in Brisbane's CBD, Eight Mile Plains, Milton, and Varsity Lakes on the Gold Coast
• He is experienced in conducting interstate mediations and international mediations

Franc's professionalism, understanding and courtesy:

• He is aware of what separated and divorced parents are enduring
• He provides a mediation process that places parents most at ease
• He ensures that any power imbalances between parents do not affect the mediation process or influence its outcome

Carole's family mediation experience:

• She has conducted more than 500 family dispute mediations in parenting matters, children's care arrangements, and property settlements
• She has conducted child-inclusive mediations, where a child psychologist provides feedback during the mediation to the parents, after having spent time with the children to determine how they are coping with the separation and current parenting arrangements
• She has conducted over 100 Residential Tenancy conciliations
• She has conducted over 100 QCAT mediations

Carole's family mediation certifications and qualifications:

• She is registered as a Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner with the Department of the Federal Attorney-General, pursuant to the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth)

• She is a Nationally Accredited Mediator
• He has a Bachelor of Laws, with electives in mediation

Carole's flexibility in the process of family mediation:

• She provides face-to-face mediation, lawyer-assisted mediation, and shuttle mediation where the parents are in two different rooms
• She conducts mediations in Brisbane's CBD, Eight Mile Plains, Milton, and Varsity Lakes on the Gold Coast

Carole's professionalism, understanding and courtesy:

• She is aware of what separated and divorced parents are enduring
• She provides a mediation process that places parents most at ease
• She ensures that any power imbalances between parents do not affect the mediation process or influence its outcome

Andrea's family mediation experience:

• She has conducted more than 200 family dispute mediations in parenting matters, children's care arrangements, and property settlements
• She has conducted over 100 neighbourhood dispute mediations
• She has conducted over 100 workplace mediations

Andrea's family mediation certifications and qualifications:

• She is registered as a Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner with the Department of the Federal Attorney-General, pursuant to the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth)

• She is a Nationally Accredited Mediator
• He has a Bachelor of Laws, with electives in mediation, from Bond University

Andrea's flexibility in the process of family mediation:

• She provides face-to-face mediation, lawyer-assisted mediation, and shuttle mediation where the parents are in two different rooms
• She conducts mediations in Brisbane's CBD, Eight Mile Plains, and Milton

Andrea's professionalism, understanding and courtesy:

• She is aware of what separated and divorced parents are enduring
• She provides a mediation process that places parents most at ease
• She ensures that any power imbalances between parents do not affect the mediation process or influence its outcome