12th and 13th July
This 2-day workshop will be an exploration of how families can be supported by mediators and other professionals to understand their children’s needs and plan the future when relationships break down.
The workshop will be opened with an address by Baroness Tyler, CEO of CAFCASS.
Day one – Thurs 12 July:
Edward Kruk will be talking about his particular interest in Shared Parenting and Shared Residence. He will be discussing the development of shared parenting plans, and how mediation and other family support interventions could be used to facilitate an individualised approach to generating post-separating arrangements.
Edward Kruk is Associate Professor of Social Work and Family Studies, University of British Columbia, specialising in child and family policy. As a child and family social worker in Canada and the UK, he has practiced in the fields of welfare rights, child protection, social work and family services. He is currently teaching and practicing in the areas of family mediation and addiction. Edward has published widely in the field of mediation and parenting after divorce.
Chip Chimera and Emilia Dowling, will be exploring children’s perspective of separation and divorce parenting and helping practitioners to understand the impact on children.
Chip Chimera is Director of the Centre for Child Studies at the Institute of Family Therapy, and has many years’ experience as an expert witness in both public and private law proceedings relating to children. She has also worked therapeutically with families in high conflict.
Emilia Dowling, a chartered clinical psychologist and family psychotherapist,has many years’ experience as an expert witness in both public and private law proceedings relating to children. She has also worked therapeutically with families in high conflict. In all areas of her work she is particularly interested in the children’s perspective. She has published widely and is co-author with Gill Gorell Barnes, of Working with Children and Parents through Separation and Divorce, Macmillan, 2000.
Day two – Friday 13 July
David Pocock, Consultant Family Therapist with Oxford Health Trust, will present on issues in parental conflict, how mediators can understand and support parents in their conflicts, and understand how children may adapt to particular parental conflict environments, including parental alienation.
David Pocock was Head of Family Therapy in Swindon and now works as Consultant Family Therapist and local lead in a Family Assessment and Safeguarding team covering Wiltshire, Bath and North East Somerset. This work is with child maltreatment, undertaking multidisciplinary assessments including a proportion of joint instructed work and offering treatment packages.
David has always worked with families post-separation. Prior to working in CAMHS he was a Probation Officer and Divorce Court Welfare Officer.
Judith Timms O.B.E will be talking about her work with children and young people, focussing on their needs and their experience of divorce, and of how support they receive from professionals such as CAFCASS and Family Mediators can be most effective.
Judith Timms is a Vice President of the Family Mediators Association, a trained family mediator and currently a Policy Consultant to NAGALRO-the Professional Association for Children’s Guardians, Family Court Advisers and Independent Social Work Practitioners. She is the founder and former Chief Executive of the National Youth Advocacy Service. She was a Board member of CAFCASS (Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service) from March 2004- April 2008 and has many years’ experience as a Children’s Guardian and Independent Social Worker.
Linked workshops will be delivered by the presenters on the afternoon of their presentation.