Voice of the Child
A Voice of the Child report, is a document that represents the views and wishes of a child, or children, involved in a family dispute. It should be prepared by a trained professional, such as a child psychologist or social worker, who interviews the child and gathers information about their perspective on the issues at hand.
The purpose of a Voice of the Child Report is to ensure that the child's voice is clearly heard and considered in the decision-making process. It can provide valuable insights for parents and helping professionals into the child's feelings, concerns, and preferences which can then help inform mediation, collaborative law, or court proceedings.
The report may include information about the child's understanding of the situation, their relationships with family members, their feelings about living arrangements and parenting time, and any specific concerns they may have.
Voice of the Child Process
Atlantic Family Mediation offers Voice of the Child Reports to other Family Mediators, lawyers practicing Collaborative Family Law, and directly to parents themselves.
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The report is completed by a registered social worker who is also a specifically trained Voice of the Child Report Practitioner. The process involves meeting with each parent once and then with each individual child in the family a minimum of two times. These meetings can occur either at the Atlantic Family Mediation offices or possibly in the family home. Each parent will accompany the child to one of the meetings to ensure a fair and balanced process.
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Each child must consent to participate in the process and only information which is agreed upon by the child will be shared in the report.
The Voice of the Child Report is non-evaluative and will not provide any specific recommendations about what parents should do, however the report will document and highlight the child's feelings, understandings, and views in their own voice. This information can then be considered by the parents and other decision makers in determining what is in the child's and family's best interests.
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To discuss if a Voice of the Child Report may be beneficial to you or to your client, please contact us by phone or email.
Get in Touch
300 Prince Albert Road
Suite 202
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
(902) 333-2405