Child Permanency Mediation
Working in partnership with the New York City Family Court, The NYSPCC is currently piloting the City's first Child Permanency Mediation (CPM) Program. CPM mediates child protective proceedings where the Family Court has placed children in foster care due to parental abuse or neglect. Children and families referred to CPM are usually at a stage in the court proceeding when a decision must be reached about the child's permanent home. Mediation provides a forum where parents, attorneys, social service agency staff and other interested parties can focus on resolving problems that pose barriers to permanency for the child. In this non-adversarial setting, everyone can explore options and find mutually acceptable solutions that will facilitate a child's return to the family or expedite placement in another permanent home. CPM enables those participating in child abuse and neglect proceedings to focus on problem resolution, treatment, education and prevention. CPM also helps to avoid prolonged, contentious legal proceedings that can extend a child's stay in foster care.
By improving communication among the various parties, mediation can minimize frustration, delay and conflict between parents and service providers. Because families are given an active and respected voice in overcoming obstacles to permanency, CPM can reduce their feelings of alienation, confusion, distrust and apathy. Parents who become more engaged in permanency planning for their children are better able to assist in moving these cases to a speedier and positive resolution.
The program began in early 2003 in the Brooklyn Family Court and proved so successful that it expanded to the Manhattan Family Court in January 2004. Expansion into the Bronx Family Court took place in June 2005, followed by the Queens Family Court in November 2005. In 2007, the Child Permanency Mediation program handled 255 cases and conducted 380 mediation sessions serving 428 children from 255 families.
In 2008, The NYSPCC and the New York City Family Court were selected to receive the Association of Conflict Resolution of Greater New York's (ACR-GNY) annual Alternative Dispute Resolution Achievement Award for its Child Permanency Mediation program. The award will be presented at ACR-GNY's sixth annual conference luncheon in June. The conference attracts approximately 250 mediators, arbitrators, scholars, educators, facilitators and others related to the alternative dispute resolution field. The partnership between The NYSPCC and the New York City Family Court exemplifies how public and private agencies can join forces to remove the roadblocks that keep children languishing in foster care.
For additional information, please call:
Stephen P. Forrester, Esq.
Assistant Executive Director
212-233-5500 x219
sforrester@nyspcc.org
Child Custody and Visitation Mediation
The Custody and Visitation Mediation Program is a court-based program run by The NYSPCC in collaboration with the New York City Family Court. It provides mediation services for parents involved in custody and visitation disputes in the New York City Family Court.
Custody and visitation mediation is a voluntary and confidential process for parents who are in court with cases about parenting their children. Mediation gives parents a chance to resolve their case themselves. With the help of a mediator, parents can work together to develop a parenting plan that will work for their family. Mediation can help parents work out how their child will spend time with each parent and can help them decide how to share the responsibilities of raising a child. The mediator will help both parents focus on the many issues that come up in parenting, including: visitation schedules, holiday plans, how parents will communicate with each other, decision-making, extended family relationships and dealing with new partners. Mediation can help parents plan for their child's future and encourage them to work together to resolve disputes without court intervention.
The Custody and Visitation Program utilizes Consultant Mediators who are experienced Mediators trained specifically to work with parents on custody and visitation issues. Mediators interested in applying to join the Custody and Visitation Program mediation panel may inquire by emailing Kerri Smith, the City-Wide Mediation Program Manager at ksmith@nyspcc.org.
For additional information, please call:
Kerri M. Smith, Esq., MSW
City-Wide Mediation Program Manager
917-319-2461
ksmith@nyspcc.org
