An evaluation of Family Conciliation's Mediation and Family Violence Protocols

Abstract

An evaluation of Family Conciliation's Mediation and Family Violence Protocols was conducted in order to determine if the screening process was effective in screening for family violence and assessing the appropriateness of cases involving family violence for child custody mediation. The evaluation was conducted by utilizing qualitative methods of research and inductive methods of data analysis. The results outlined the actual design and components of the protocols document. It was found that the screening process was effective, as mediation counsellors screened for family violence during the pre-mediation stage and continued to assess the case during the mediation session by using the components of the protocols document. The mediation counsellors would only proceed with a case involving family violence if the abuse had been in the past and the abuse issues had been resolved for both partners. Finally, some recommendations are suggested to enhance the protocols' design as a screening process for the use of mediation counsellors.