Child Inclusive Mediation (CiM) Training
Child Inclusive Mediation (CIM) Training
• in Cross-border Family Cases •
🗓️19-20 June 2026
📍Berlin
About the Training
This training is aimed at qualified international Family Mediators wishing to acquire the knowledge and skills required for including children directly in cross-border family mediation, including in international parental child abduction cases.
Participants from related professions who have an interest in this topic are also welcome. This training workshop might also be interesting for family judges in cross-border family proceedings.
Conducted by experienced international mediation trainers and child-inclusive mediation (CiM) practitioners, with input sessions delivered by world-renowned international child-inclusive mediation experts, as well as by trainers presenting CiM research and a personal accounts of child abduction, this two-day training seminar is designed to be highly interactive, comprehensive and practice-oriented.
The training workshop seeks to equip participating mediators with the practical tools and relevant knowledge to include children directly in mediation in international child abduction cases and cross-border family disputes. The training consists of a mix of input sessions, role plays and small group work and will have regard to established Child Inclusive Mediation (CiM) standards and guidelines, as well as the applicable international legal framework. Participants will be introduced to different models of child-inclusive mediation.
Child development theory and children’s grief and loss responses in the context of family breakdown and parental child abduction as well as the neurological mechanisms involved in stress and trauma reactions will also be explored in detail. Participating mediators will gain an understanding of the psychological impact of high-level parental conflict and separation, including the effects of stress and trauma on children’s emotional, psychological, and developmental wellbeing. Self-reflexive exercises designed to enhance self-awareness, reflective practice, and sensitivity when working directly with children and families in conflict situations will be a key feature of the training. The course will also have regard risks and dilemmas relating to CiM.
Participants will have the opportunity to practise in role plays the different stages of Child Inclusive Mediation, such as: preparing the parents for CiM, engaging children of different ages in mediation and managing the feedback to the parents. Throughout the course participants will be encouraged to engage in discussion and draw on their own experience as cross-border family mediators and any child-inclusive mediation experiences.
Topics of the training workshop include:
- Child development theory
- International Practices of CiM
- Psychological impact of high-level parental conflict and separation
- Neurological mechanisms involved in stress and trauma reactions
- The legal background of including the voice of the child
- Effects of stress, grief and trauma on children’s developmental wellbeing
- Speaking with children in mediation
- Managing the feedback process to parents
- Self-reflexive exercises for enhancing self-awareness
- Role Plays
MiKK is a “Recognized European Training Provider” featured on the European Commission‘s Training Platform (ETP) .
The ETP platform is only open to recognised EU-level training providers, whose expertise has been recognised by the EU. It currently features 24 training providers across the EU.
Trainers, Speakers
Birgitte Beelen
Managing Director of SYNTAGMA Psychology, Mediation, Coaching & Training, Mediator, MiKK-Mediator
Lisa Parkinson
Accredited family mediator (now retired from practice) and Trainer. Co-founder and Vice-president of the Family Mediators Association
Konstanze Welz
Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Family Mediation and Mentoring, MiKK Ambassador for India
Jill Goldson
Mediator, Director & Consultant of THE FAMILY MATTERS CENTRE, Resolution Institute Fellow, Author, Trainer
Ischtar Khalaf-Newsome
Co-CEO & Head of Advisory Services, Family Lawyer (England & Wales), Mediator
Veneta Ivanova
Psychologist, Psychotherapist, Mediator & Mediation Trainer
Conversations with Young People in Family Mediation
2024, Bloomsbury Professional
Child Inclusion in Parenting Dispute Mediation: The Key to Keeping Family Separation Out of Court
2025 The Family Matters Centre Publishing
Allport, Lesley. The Voice of the Child in International Family Mediation.
Welz, Konstanze: Parental Child Abduction – a Personal Story
Registration fees:
MiKK Members: €330 / €290 (early bird*)
MiKK Members from Eligible Countries**: €280 / €250 (early bird*)
Non-MiKK Members: €370 / €330 (early bird*)
*EARLY BIRD Discount: Registrations before 15.05.2026, are eligible for early bird discounts.
**Please refer to the list of eligible countries on the MiKK Website
Training Venue:
GK Quest Akademie GmbH
(HIRAM-HAUS e.V.)
Alt-Tempelhof 28, 12103 Berlin
Programme
Friday, 19th June 2026
9.00 – 9.30 Welcome & Introductions
- Introductions – expectations – programme
- Overview of Programme & Agenda
9:40 – 10:00 Theoretical Foundations
- The Voice of the Child – Legal Background
Ischtar Khalaf-Newsome, Birgitte Beelen
10:00 – 11:10 Theoretical foundations & international practices of CIM
- Definitions, assessment for suitability and timing of CIM
- Preparing the parents and the child for CIM:
- Key Principles of CiM
- Small Group Work Activities
Ischtar Khalaf-Newsome, Birgitte Beelen
11:30 – 12:30 Psychological Input & Theory
- Child development & Attachment Theory
- Self reflective exercises
Birgitte Beelen
12:30 – 15:30 Different (National) Practices of Child Inclusive Mediation
- CiM Practices in New Zealand
- CiM Practices in the Netherlands
- CiM Practices in England & Wales & the Council of Europe (CoE) CiM Guidelines
- Domestic vs. Hague Cases
- Differences & Intro to Case study
Jill Goldson (Zoom), Birgitte Beelen, Lisa Parkinson (Zoom)
15:30 – 17:45 The Neuroscience of Trauma & Stress
- The Voice of the Child – A personal story
- Stress, trauma and psychological impact in high level parental conflict and separation situations. Grief and loss responses of children
Birgitte Beelen, Konstanze Welz
18:00 – 18:30 Interactive Group Work: “Preparing the Parents & The Child”
- Feedback and Closing
📍 Evening Dinner at a restaurant with all participants & trainers at own expense
Saturday, 20th June 2026
9:00 – 9:30 Questions from the Day Before
Birgitte Beelen, Ischtar Khalaf-Newsome
9:30 – 10:45 Engaging with the Child
- Age appropiate language
- Interview Tools and Methods (age appropiate)
- Dos and Don’ts
- Film Clip
Birgitte Beelen
11:00 – 12:30 Role Play in Groups: “Meeting with the Child”
12:30 – 13:15 Managing the Feedback Process (to the Parents)
- Goals of Feedback
- Different Models
- What is “helpful feedback”?
Ischtar Khalaf-Newsome, Birgitte Beelen
14:00 – 15:00 Role Play in Groups: “Feeding Information Back to the Parents”
15:00 – 16:00 Research Findings: Neuropsychological study (CiM) From Bulgaria
Dilemmas and Risks in Child Inclusive Mediation
- Participant’s own experience
- Case studies
- Plenary Discussion
Veneta Ivanova (Zoom, tbc)
16:00 – 16:30 Feedback, Loose Ends & Open Discussion
Reading Suggestions:
- Allport, Lesley. The Voice of the Child in International Family Mediation. In: Cross-Border Family Mediation. International Parental Child Abduction, Custody and Access Cases. Christoph C. Paul, Sybille Kiesewetter, Ischtar Khalaf-Newsome (eds.).3rd updated & expanded edition; 2023, Frankfurt/Main: Wolfgang Metzner Verlag. (also available as an E-book)
- Parkinson, Lisa. Conversations with Young People in Family Mediation. Bloomsbury Publishing; 2024
- Goldson, Jill. Child Inclusion in Parenting Dispute Mediation. The Key to Keeping Family Separation Out of Court. The Family Matters Centre Publishing; 2025
- Welz, Konstanze: Parental Child Abduction – a Personal Story. In: Cross-Border Family Mediation. International Parental Child Abduction, Custody and Access Cases. Christoph C. Paul, Sybille Kiesewetter, Ischtar Khalaf-Newsome (eds.).3rd updated & expanded edition; 2023, Frankfurt/Main: Wolfgang Metzner Verlag. (also available as an E-book)