The mediator will act as an impartial facilitator in assisting the parties to reach a negotiated agreement regarding the child’s living arrangements and all associated parenting issues.
The mediator will encourage the parties to listen to each other and consider the other’s point of view.
The mediator will also keep the parties “on track” and focussed on the child and his/her best interests (as opposed to, perhaps, their own “gripes” about the other party).
When it is not possible to simultaneously have both parties together in one room, the mediator will separate them into individual rooms.
This is called “shuttle mediation”, where the mediator will move between the two rooms to converse with the parties independently and play the central role in facilitating the parties’ discussions and in relaying their respective concerns/ positions/ proposals to each other.