Free webinar: A review of models of child participation in family mediation
30 September 2025
‘Children’s opinions are some of the most important, as we might not be experts, but it’s our futures at stake.’ – Benji, 14 years old
Children have a right to be heard and be involved in decisions that affect them, yet they are rarely involved in family mediation, often known as family dispute resolution (FDR). Many Australian organisations, including Relationships Australia organisations, offer child-inclusive FDR. Across Australia and internationally, however, the default and far more common family mediation process does not involve children.
The participation of children in FDR relies on services adopting workable, affordable practice models. In this webinar, Dr Genevieve Heard from Relationships Australia Victoria will discuss the outcomes of a literature review that identified and mapped international models of children’s participation in family mediation.
This webinar will provide a broad view of child-inclusive mediation models, to help practitioners, clinical teams and service providers consider how best to involve children, and ultimately support enhanced use of child-inclusive practices.
Relationships Australia Victoria (RAV) pioneered mediation in Australia in the early 1980s and has over 40 years’ experience delivering FDR and mediation services. Today, RAV is one of the nation’s largest FDR providers and, through its Registered Training Organisation (RTO 21977), trains FDR and mediation professionals, including through the CHC81115 Graduate Diploma of Family Dispute Resolution.
Date: Tuesday 21 October
Time: 12 noon AEDT
About the presenter
Dr Genevieve Heard is Manager Research at Relationships Australia Victoria (RAV). Her work at RAV has investigated outcomes of post-separation dispute resolution services, and technology use in post-separation parenting. Her earlier research concerned patterns of family formation and dissolution. She has authored numerous journal articles and edited Family Formation in 21st Century Australia (2015).
Genevieve’s recent publications include:
- Heard G, Bickerdike A and Hebblewhite M (2024) ‘Practitioner Impartiality and Client Self-determination in a Court-ordered, Lawyer-assisted Property Conciliation Model’, Australasian Dispute Resolution Journal, 33(1).
- Heard G, Lohan A, Petch J, Milic J and Bickerdike A (2024) ‘Participation, agreement and reduced acrimony through family mediation: Benefits for the ambivalent client in a mandatory setting’, Conflict Resolution Quarterly, 41(4):1–18
- Irving MA, Heard G, Smyth BM, Payne JL and Althor G (2023) ‘Post-separation parenting apps in the hands of family law practitioners: expectations versus experience’, International Journal of Law, Policy and the Family, 37(1).