L’implication des enfants en médiation familiale : le point de vue et l’expérience des parents dans un contexte de partage des responsabilités parentales
This exploratory and descriptive research focuses on the experience and perspective of parents with regard to the direct participation of children in family mediation. To carry out this study, a qualitative research method was used and the phenomenology theoretical perspective was chosen. The sample consists of eight parents, all who participated in a semi-structured interview on the involvement of their children in family mediation. Data was collected between May and October 2013, and was analyzed based on the content analysis method as proposed by L'Ecuyer (1990) and Mayer and Deslauriers (2000). It is clear from this research that the direct involvement of children in family mediation has considerable influence on the process. Indeed, the majority of participants in this study reported that their children’s involvement was crucial to reach an agreement about shared parenting. Also, the results suggest that the majority of participants had positively experience the participation of their children and were satisfied with the benefits of the involvement. However, some parents lived this experience in a negative way. Those results highlighted the limitations and hazards associated with the direct involvement of children in family mediation. The terms of involvement chosen by family mediators also appeared to have influenced the experiences of parents and their children in the process. The results of this research provide access to the perception of parents about their children’s experiences before, during and after the process. A suggestion that comes from this study is that the child, although brought to give an opinion in family mediation, should not be held responsible for any decision related to shared parenting, for example the choice of care arrangements. The conclusions of this paper feed a family mediation strategy that is poorly documented from the point of view and experience of parents.
Family mediation Child inclusive practice Parents experience