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Child-Focused Development Programs for Family Dispute Professionals: Recent Steps in the Evolution of Family Dispute Resolution Strategies in Australia

In 2001, the Australian Government funded professional development programs for both legal and nonlegal professionals who currently provide dispute resolution assistance to separating or separated families. These programs include Changing the Face of Practice (for family law practitioners) and Children in Focus (for mediators, conciliators, and counsellors). The aim has been to develop the ability of these professionals to assist more separated parents than has been the case to date, to resolve their differences in a way that focuses on the best interests of the children. The assumed starting point is the encouragement of arrangements that allow for parenting responsibilities after separation to continue to be shared. The precise manner in which these responsibilities are shared will vary significantly from case to case. However, the principle underlying the assumed starting point is that the arrangements are of benefit to the children and not simply tokenism. Within the framework of the Government’s overall strategy, this paper traces background and challenges, and describes the two recent professional development programs.