Court based conciliation.
Court based
conciliation schemes exist in divorce county
courts and are provided by the family court
welfare service. Some county courts do not
have a conciliation scheme but may have a
court welfare officer who can discuss some
aspects of a case with a couple.
Where a scheme exists, a couple who are
divorcing or separating will be seen first
by a court welfare officer with a district
judge present. If there is a dispute over
contact with children, or with whom the
children will live, the couple will be
referred to a court welfare officer for a
conciliation appointment before they are
given a full court hearing.
Usually, both members of the couple will
attend the appointment with the welfare
officer, although they can ask to be seen
separately as well. The welfare officer may
also see the children separately. The
welfare officer will report the outcome of
discussions to the district judge.
If agreement was reached at the meeting,
the district judge can make an order to
confirm what was agreed. If no agreement was
reached, the district judge can order that a
welfare report is produced before going any
further with the case.
Court based conciliation schemes are
free.