This is a letter written by Brigitte Chin-A-Fat to the late Peter Hoefnagels, who was one of the Dutch pioneers in the field of divorce mediation and a professor of criminology and family law at Erasmus University Rotterdam. In 1997, TMD published an article from his hand in which he wrote how he had become inspired by the potential of divorce mediation and about his (first) experiences with this ‘new’ mode of dispute resolution in family disputes. The original article by Peter Hoefnagels, dating from 1997, is reproduced in 2021 in TMD in view of its relevance today and precedes the letter by Brigitte Chin-A-Fat.
Hoefnagels invented the so-called ‘divorce announcement’ and introduced psychology to the legal world of divorce and family mediation. Anno 2021, there are many (legal) developments which are bound to have an impact on the reform of Dutch divorce procedure.
The Dutch government has set up pilot projects experimenting with inter alia a ‘joint access’ to the family court. Many of these developments are in line with Hoefnagels’ suggestions to avoid harm being inflicted on the ex-spouses and notably their children to the largest extent possible. The author discusses some of the current pilot projects and connects the rationale underlying these experiments to Hoefnagels’ ideas as presented 25 years ago. She also looks into the future, notably which changes are likely to occur in the next 25 years in the field of divorce mediation.

Schools are tasked with helping children to become socially competent(er), both in the on- and offline world. If conflicts occur, schools find out how they can tackle this behaviour and prevent it in the future. Schools cover various tracks here. More and more schools have understood that they can actively involve children and young people in their preventive and problem-solving approach. They integrate methodologies and programmes that give children and young people the opportunity to take responsibility when a conflict occurs. Some of these methods and programmes are looked at more closely in this article. The article concludes with a future-oriented dream that responds to some current educational needs.

Implementing a restorative policy is a difficult job for schools. In schools based on sanctions teachers need to know the rules, but in schools based on restorative justice everyone, especially students, understands the rules and believes in them. The relation has priority. Such a school needs a vision on the restorative method for parents, teachers and students to solve unacceptable behaviour and conflicts. It focuses on self-discipline instead of discipline.

As mediators we should be aware of our biases. We cannot avoid them, although we need integrity and impartiality while helping people communicate and negotiate in their search for conflict resolution. The mediator’s job is delicate and important, as we ‘play’ with people and their underlying interests, emotions and identity. That is also the case in business mediation, where it all seems to be just professional and some feel emotions are to be avoided.
Mediators need much intrapersonal work to stay balanced and to manage their own biases. In this article a 5 step Managing Biases Process (5MBP) is suggested.
To do this honestly and seriously, and to keep growing, we need a ‘sparring partner”. Such mediator buddy contributes to our checks and balances, and better guarantees the integrity of the mediator.

In this article the authors describe briefly the legal aspects of liquidation of an estate and the alternative way of mediation. Besides that they investigate what should better be done before the estate will be liquidated. It turns out that also in that case the facilitation of mediation is a wise choice.

Charline Ampe explains the workings of a Belgian 2019 statute, that has made insurance premium income tax-deductible as long as the policy provides that mediator fees and other qualified professionals’ fees will be borne wholly by the insurer.

The new Belgian law on collaborative conflict resolution installs a disqualification clause, which parties have to sign before starting the negotiations. If they cannot resolve their dispute, they agree to stop the negotiations in advance. What skills do the lawyers need to make collaborative conflict resolution a success?

This research aims to contribute to the development of an adequate handling of the complex, conflictual family situation that occurs during a parental abduction. The following research question is answered: to what extent can the methods of conflict resolution – in the Belgian context – be optimized so that the interests of the child are guaranteed, in the light of the theoretical insights provided by Glasl’s conflict theory? Attention is paid to the limited effectiveness of legal procedures on the one hand and the mediation on the other. The method of de-escalation, developed by Glasl, offers a useful diagnostic tool for the conflict counsellor. In addition, the metaphor of the ladder he uses is extremely valuable as a tool for gaining insight into the mechanisms of conflict-escalation. A clear theoretical framework for the judiciary in the interpretation of an escalated conflict can lead to a better understanding of the possibilities and limits of cooperation between ex-partners, which benefits the best interests of the child.

The Family Justice Centers are an international model where victims of domestic violence and child abuse can find all help needed under one roof. The FJCs are a collaboration of police, justice, welfare, help centers and authorities. The main target is empowering survivors of violence.
The development of the FJC-model is situated in an evolution of the approach of these forms of violence, starting with the recognition of violence against women and child abuse towards a multidisciplinary and collaborative model starting from the needs of survivors of violence. The FJC-model is explained from a field worker point of view and further developments and expected evolutions are mentioned.

With a Belgian law of June, 18 2018, the principle of the voluntary nature of mediation was affected. A lot of critical comments can be made at this point. The scope of the obligation is not clear. Mandatory mediation raises the threshold to the court and has as effect that many cases are not handled in the most appropriate way. The bar doesn’t support the measure. Research is needed to find out if the new measure is justified.

On 16 October 2017 the Ghent Court of Appeal, the Court of First Instance East Flanders, House of Justice Ghent, Centre for Welfare Work East Flanders, House of Mediation, Mediationlink, Mediation-at-Work.be organised a paneldiscussion titled ‘Mediation: only for the happy few?’ as part of the Belgian FBC Mediation Week 2017. Central in the discussion was how and to what extent the access to mediation inside and outside the courts in Belgium can be improved. This question was addressed by the seven members of the panel, representing the various stakeholders involved in mediation. A view that was shared by all was that from a very early age human beings should be educated in how to deal with disputes.

Care providers establish often long term relationships with their clients. It is of paramount importance that the threshold for a complaint or dispute resolution is preferably low. Ideally this is not a ‘mini-trial’ in which care provider and client are opposed against each other, but a constructive dialogue at a round table guided by a skillful complaints officer. This is what has been introduced by the Healthcare Quality, Complaints and Disputes Act (the Wkkgz).
The new complaint system introduced with the Wkkgz applies to care covered by the Chronic Care Act (WLZ), the Healthcare Insurance Act (ZVW) and optionally can also apply to care based on the Social Support Act (WMO 2015).
In my opinion it is a missed opportunity that the legislator has not introduced a similar complaint procedure in the Youth Act, but instead has chosen the ‘mini-trial’ option here. Moreover, it is also confusing for care providers and clients to follow different complaints systems next to each other.
Finally, in psychiatric care where decisions of care providers can interfere with the right to self-determination there is a separate complaint procedure with a role for the Family Court. For all other run-of-the mill issues also in the psychiatric care the Wkkgz complaint procedure applies.

This article is about the process of Collaborative Practice, also known as Collaborative law, and more specific collaborative divorce. The aim of this article is to explain what the process entails, when it can be used, what the benefits for clients are and what a professional can gain by making this method his own.
The history of the Collaborative Practice process and the manner the process was introduced from the United States to Europe are reported. Furthermore, the development of the Collaborative Practice community in Europe, with a focus on the expansion in the Netherlands and Belgium, is described.
On the basis of a practical case the process will be explained and the findings, experiences and reviews from the multidisciplinary team and the clients will be exemplified.

Governance of family wealth is multifaceted in nature. In order to deepen our understanding of this topical issue, the current article offers a framework to grasp the complexity of family wealth governance. In doing so, the authors make a distinction between family wealth, socioemotional wealth, and family dynamics. The authors bridge the three distinct – yet interrelated – aspects both from a legal and psychological perspective. The framework can expand insight towards conflicts existing within families, across generations. Each component then provides challenges as well as opportunities to manage family conflict in an integrative and sustainable manner, a process which is facilitated by empathy.

It proves that in succession planning relational aspects are at least as important as juridical and fiscal aspects. Every family has his own context and for that also his own wishes and solicitudes.