Supporting Child Well-Being in Mediation: Practical Responses to Risk Concerns
Overview & Learning Objectives
Child well-being concerns can arise at any point in the mediation process, often without warning. Mediators are then faced with a delicate balance: responding to potential risk while maintaining a constructive, non-escalatory process and preserving working relationships with both parents. This 60-minute webinar focuses on practical, grounded approaches to these situations. The session will address common uncertainties about how to respond when concerns about a child’s safety or well-being are raised. This session emphasizes practical language, decision-making clarity, and trust-building strategies that mediators can immediately apply in their work.
Following this session, participants will be able to:
- Identify appropriate response pathways when child well-being or risk concerns arise in mediation, including when to consider reporting and when alternative steps may be appropriate
- Apply practical communication strategies to discuss child-related concerns with parents in a calm, non-inflammatory manner that supports continued engagement
- Assess key factors related to child well-being and risk while maintaining a balanced, trust-building approach with both parties in the mediation process
Presenters
Willow McLean, M.S.W., R.S.W., is a registered social worker with the Nova Scotia College of Social Workers with a Bachelor and Masters of Social Work from McGill University and over 15 years in frontline child protection work. She also runs a private practice, Atlantic Family Mediation, and is a certified family relations mediator and board member with Family Mediation Canada. Willow believes that social workers trained in family mediation are uniquely situated to help parents navigate and overcome the practical but also intensely emotional difficulties that often follow a separation, especially when children are involved.
Michael Saini, Ph.D., M.S.W., R.S.W, is a Professor at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto, where he holds the endowed Chair in Law and Social Work and is cross-appointed to the Faculty of Law. He also serves as the Co-Director of the combined J.D./M.S.W. program. With over 20 years of experience working at the intersection of family law and social work, Dr. Saini brings a deep understanding of how social work values align with mediation practices. His research and teaching focus on trauma-informed approaches, child-inclusive dispute resolution, and evidence-informed policy development. He has authored more than 200 publications on parenting evaluations, family violence, and dispute resolution processes and regularly presents to international audiences on the evolving role of social workers in legal contexts. Dr. Saini is a board member of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC), Family Mediation Canada (FMC), and the Canadian Coalition for the Rights of Children (CCRC), and is committed to strengthening the profession’s role in peaceful, collaborative family law solutions.