A new collaborative spirit that has emerged between organisations that support families in dispute must continue long after the Covid-19 crisis has ended, says the CEO of the charity National Family Mediation (NFM).
In a new article for Family Law, Jane Robey says her experience shows the current restrictions “are causing major challenges for effective co-parenting for separated families, increased tensions between family members, and more people deciding to end relationships, even if they currently feel unable to do anything practical to make this happen.”
She says mediators and support are staff proving be agile “moving mediation online, so that consultations are conducted via Zoom or Skype, rather than all parties sitting together in a room.”
Perhaps more importantly, she explains how she has seen the adaptability extend to various family-focused organisations.
“It might not match the scale of the Nightingale Hospital projects, but a new collaborative approach has definitely emerged, with professionals sharing an absolute determination to combine forces to the front line of family disputes.
“It’s a spirit which, in ‘normal’ times, would have taken years to develop.
“For the sake of children and parents enduring tough times, we simply have to keep this collective attitude going from strength-to-strength when we hit the ‘new normal’. Whenever that might be.”
You can read the article in full here
