During the Family Dispute Resolution process your Family Works mediator will meet with you, your child’s other parent/guardian and other appropriate people to ensure everyone has their say.

With your consent, we may also meet with your child/ren to hear their voice and share this as part of the mediation.

The mediator will help you make decisions that are in the best interests of your children. They will not try to get you back together, make judgments about who is right or wrong, or make decisions for you. Instead, they will focus everyone involved on making decisions about how you will look after your children. The mediator may also help you work out other things such as pick up and drop off arrangements, where your children spend the holidays, how you will handle birthdays and other celebrations, where the children go to school, their surnames and how their religion or cultural beliefs will be instilled.

Referrals for FDR are made through Family Works Central which refers Southland cases to the local Family Works Service.

This service is free of charge for those that meet the criteria for Ministry of Justice funding.