FAMILY DISPUTE RESOLUTION

Emerge Family Dispute Resolution Services

Emerge family dispute resolution services are solution-focused and will work with you and your former partner to come to an agreement that is manageable for you both and is in the best interests of any children involved.

The alternatives to a mediated agreement are very expensive and with Family Court waiting lists stretching to several years, you can expect to be enmeshed in conflict for an indefinite period.

It is never easy to compromise when a relationship is over, however if you participate in dispute resolution, you will have a say in the outcome instead of leaving your fate in a judge’s hands. Then you will finally be able to move forward in your life.

Emerge offers you

An extensive initial interview with each party to understand their interests and assess their suitability for dispute resolution;
Referrals to other specialists where required to assist with finances, health, children and legal matters. All referrals are arms length and Emerge receives no benefit;
An evidence based dispute resolution process facilitated by an Emerge practitioner and tailored to the individual needs of you and the other party; and
A summary of any agreement you reach, in a form that can easily be made into a plan or consent orders.

Parenting matters

Parenting dispute resolution is a meeting with your former partner to come to an agreement about how you will parent your children going forward. Its purpose is to deal with the matters that you have been unable to agree. In a parenting dispute resolution you might discuss time spent with each parent, parental responsibility for various aspects of parenting and other things like education and spiritual and cultural choices.

It is important to come to the meeting with a clear idea of the things you need to resolve and whether you want to work towards a less formal parenting plan or a more formal agreement. If the aim is for a more formal agreement you will be able to take it to your lawyer who can then advise you and lodge it with the Family Court as a more binding agreement.

It is also important to have seen a lawyer for advice on the likely outcome if you were to take the matter to court so you can be clear about your legal position.

Post-separation services

Emerge post-separation services are solution focused and responsive to your needs. This means you come to us with a family separation related problem and tell us where you want to get to (for example a draft parenting plan property agreement, or a process for communicating with your former partner). We will then work logically through your situation with you, your former partner and others involved to get you to that solution.

Part of our job is to persuade others involved to work with you to resolve conflict but we also advise you and them about opportunities and resources that may help your situation. These include government agencies like Centrelink and Health NSW as well as accessible professional advisers like accountants, psychologists, doctors, lawyers and real estate agents.

Emerge has no fee arrangements with other organisations or advisors so all referrals are on an arms-length basis. This enables you to be safe in the knowledge that you are receiving the best advice we can recommend.

Most importantly, we will reduce the stress and trauma caused by conflict between you and your family members and help you to move onto the next stage of your life.

Property and financial matters

A Property and financial dispute resolution is an opportunity for you and your former partner to agree on how to divide your shared assets. It is important to get financial and legal advice before the meeting and disclose all the information you have about your assets to the mediator and your former partner.

Relevant assets include those that were acquired before, during or after the relationship and whether you received gifts or an inheritance. If you can get valuations of any property it will assist in coming to an agreement.