Child Contact Centre Awareness Week: Myths and Truths
It’s Child Contact Centre Awareness Week in Scotland and in Europe. For those who are unaware of what a child contact centre does, Pauline Nimmo addresses some common myths and truths to shed more light. Myths Child Contact Centres are full of junkies, paedophiles and alcoholics. CCC are not full of ‘junkies, paedophiles…
Read MoreThe Charity for Civil Servants
The Charity for Civil Servants has been working in partnership with Relationships Scotland for several years, providing access to relationship counselling throughout Scotland. We work with individuals and couples to identify the best options available to suit your needs. If you are a Civil Servant, past or present or you work for an organisation sponsored…
Read MoreGiving Children and Young People a Voice when Parents Separate – How Mediation can Help
Since the 1990s a noticeable shift within Scottish culture has occurred – it is now expected that children’s opinions will be sought and considered on a wide range of issues. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child states that children who are capable of forming a view have a right to express those…
Read MoreSupporting developments in Family Mediation – with our neighbours!
I was delighted to be invited to attend the launch of an exciting new family mediation research initiative in South County Dublin in May this year, alongside the Canadian Ambassador to Ireland, Kevin Vickers. The Family Mediation Project is offering means-tested family mediation to parents, grandparents and their children in their communities. The innovative process…
Read MoreA future for European collaboration? Learning how best to help children whose parents are in dispute
As the sole representative from Scotland at an international consultation event on modern family justice I was both intrigued and excited to be heading to Windsor Castle for 24 hours on 12th February. Relate and the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC) hosted a discussion for 30 ‘experts in the field’, from lawyers to…
Read MoreFor the Sake of the Kids
Children should be supported to keep in touch with both parents after separation, whenever it is safe and possible for them to do so, says Stuart Valentine, Chief Executive of Relationships Scotland (This article originally appeared in the Scotsman) Bringing up children is one of the toughest challenges anyone can face. Even with the well-intentioned…
Read MoreParenting Apart – free support for families whose parents live apart
Families across Scotland can continue to benefit from the insights gained by participating in a Parenting Apart session – for free. The Scottish Government have recently confirmed that funding to allow these sessions to be developed and offered from Relationships Scotland’s family mediation services will continue for a third year. Parenting Apart information/education sessions are…
Read MoreHearing from children when their parents separate or divorce
Should we be listening to children and young people directly, or hearing their views via their parents? This is a question that exercises the minds of those who work in the family law field and is receiving heightened attention from policy makers in Scotland at the moment. Does it put pressure on children and young…
Read MoreInternational perspectives on post-separation parenting
Children do better when they can have a positive relationship with both their parents, whether they live together or apart. This was the clear message from both speakers at our International Perspectives on Post Separation Parenting Event in Edinburgh on 30th November. The challenging question for all of us at the event who work in…
Read MoreFamily Dispute Resolution Pilot
Relationships Scotland have been working with our lawyer mediator colleagues from CALM Scotland to put together a proposal to encourage families with disputes over contact arrangements to look in to their options for resolving their differences, prior to going to court. It is widely accepted that if parents can find a way to move forward…
Read MoreThe Four Cs – Advice from Ten Years of Family Mediation
Rosanne Cubitt, our Head of Professional Practice (Mediation) reflects on over a decade of experience as a family mediator. She’s worked with parents across Scotland dealing with the process of separation and divorce. I often say to parents that there are better and worse ways of splitting up – my job is to help them find…
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