Moving aheadin apositive direction

Family Mediation Central Scotland runs a number of initiatives, all aimed at helping parents put their children first and move forward positively while living apart.

Baby’s Pace is a special programme to ease anxieties and relives some of the practical problems surrounding contact between a baby or small child and the parent they do not live with.

It is available to all separated parents with babies and small children aged from birth to two years old.

An experienced baby worker is allocated to work with both parents, offering support, advice and assistance and is present throughout all the contact sessions.

When the baby is a little older and everyone is ready to move on, you can use one of the supported contact centres in Stirling, Falkirk and Alloa.

The contact centres are a safe, secure solution for parents who find it difficult to arrange and manage contact, including Court ordered contact.

Many families go on to use the family mediation service. In mediation, parents are supported to discuss the outstanding issues between them and resolve or reduce ongoing conflict, eventually being encouraged to make their own arrangements for the future.

The Stirling contact centre operates Monday to Saturday, while the Falkirk and Alloa contact centres are open only on Saturdays from 10.30am-3.30pm.

With more and more people interested in the service, more volunteers are also needed.

The service is running a free‘Parenting Apart’ workshop for separated parents who have children on various occasions, from September 5 until December.