Parents’ roles

Your collaboration as participating parents is essential to the success of the mediation process. 

Here are the main conditions you must meet:

• Commitment to the mediation process:
  • your decision to take part in mediation must be voluntary;
  • you must negotiate, with help from the mediator, without undue constraint;
  • you must participate actively in the discussions, and cooperate to the best of your ability;
  • you must accept the principle that the mediation cannot impose a solution;
  • you must behave honestly at all stages in the process;
  • you must disclose all the information needed to understand the situation.
    
    

• Tasks to be completed between mediation sessions:
  • you must think about the various options for custody of your children and access rights;
  • you must draw up, or help draw up, budgets for the parents and children;
  • you must list your property, with an assessment of its value;
  • you must provide all relevant documents.
    
    

• Tasks to be completed at any point during the mediation process, as needed:
  • you may have to obtain supplementary information and independent opinions;
  • you may have to contact outside resources (lawyer, notary, therapist, real estate agent …);
  • you may have to assess, with the mediator, the possibility of having your children take part directly in the mediation process.
    
    

• Tasks to be complete at the end of the mediation process:
  • you must complete the tasks that are your responsibility to ensure that your agreement is implemented and applied;
  • you must take steps to obtain a court judgment, if needed.