2. Find an ADR professional
Question & Answer
What is alternative dispute resolution in a child protection case?If a (CAS) and you agree to try (ADR), CAS sends your signed consent to an ADR agency. Once the application is complete and the ADR agency has reviewed it, you get an ADR professional to work with.
If you or your lawyer prefer to work with a specific ADR professional, let CAS know so they can include that in the application. The ADR professional you prefer may or may not be available, but most ADR agencies will try to get them.
ADR is free for parents in child protection cases. The government pays for it. You can also get an interpreter, if you need one.
Depending on the type of ADR you asked for, the ADR professional may be a Child Protection Mediator, a Family Group Co-ordinator, or an Indigenous Facilitator. This person will get in touch with you, explain the ADR process, and confirm that you agree to try ADR.
Depending on the type of ADR, the meeting will take place at an office or in the community at a place that's comfortable for everyone. For example, in a community centre.
The ADR professional will meet with each of you, usually separately. This is the time to get your questions answered, understand the process, and share information with the ADR professional. They can tell you how long the meetings will be, if they will meet with you and CAS separately or together and discuss possible supports you might want to bring to the meeting. They will ask you questions about your situation and discuss any safety concerns.
If you're doing child protection , then the first step in ADR is usually screening. Screening checks to see if your ADR process can be fair and safe. The ADR professional meets with you to find out if there are things like:
- a history of partner abuse
- a mental illness, such as depression
In some cases, the ADR professional can run the ADR in a way that makes the process fair and safe even if there are concerns from screening. For example, if you're not comfortable being in the same room as your CAS worker or your ex-partner, they can talk to each of you in separate rooms. They can plan for both of you to come and go at different times.