Diversity, Family Dispute Resolution & Access to Justice

This course will provide students with an introduction to facilitating more responsive and effective dispute resolution services, such as mediation, with diverse individuals and families who are going through separation and divorce. This course draws upon research, best practices, and practice wisdom from practitioners in the family justice field. The student will learn about: . The barriers that many families experience when accessing family mediation and strategies for improving their ability to access and participate in services. . How diversity, including multiple types and intersections of identity such as sexual orientation, geography (urban/rural/remote), religion, disability, immigration, and class, can shape how people move through and live with separation and divorce, and how they can be more effective in helping families resolve conflict related to their children in a respectful and empowering way. . How they can develop and adapt dispute resolution processes that are responsive to the needs of individual families while continuing to assess for family violence, centering the needs of the child, and attending to ethical concerns such as confidentiality and power imbalances. . Developing practical skills such as working with an interpreter, communication strategies that can help enhance feelings of safety and increase engagement with services, how to use inclusive language to create respectful and welcoming spaces, and how to use critical self-reflection as a tool for effectively working with diversity.